LAHORE: With resignations option is almost over, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is pressing ahead with its ‘plan B’ – agitation – and for the purpose it has given an ultimatum of a month to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to decide the foreign funding case which has been pending for the last six years against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

The 11-party opposition alliance has already given an ultimatum till Jan 31 to Imran Khan to step down, otherwise it may hold a march on Islamabad or Rawalpindi, where army headquarters is located, to oust the prime minster through “power of the people”.

In line with its ‘agitation plan’ finalised by the PDM huddle attended by all heads of the components of the alliance, a rally will be held in Bahawalpur on Sunday. The PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz plans to address public gatherings at five points on her way to Bahawalpur, while the PDM Presient Fazlur Rehman is also likely to address the main rally.

Maryam to address public gatherings on her way to Bahawalpur

“After the ‘plan A’ options like resignations from the assemblies, boycotting the Senate and by-elections, were put on a back burner, the PDM agreed to resort to ‘plan B’ infusing more vigour into its protest drive and not to provide any letup to the PTI government, which has been struggling on all fronts, especially the economic,” a PML-N insider said on Saturday.

He also said Maryam Nawaz who had strongly advocated for resigning from the assemblies in the Friday’s meeting was quite upset over the prevailing stance of the PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, that resorting to resignations and boycotting Senate polls won’t be a wise course of action for the opposition.

“Let the stage be set on the roads and push the powers that be to fill prisons with the opposition leaders and workers,” Mr Zardari was quoted as having said.

PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira, who was also present in the PDM meeting, on Saturday thanked the other parties in the alliance for accepting PPP’s point of view.

“For the success of any movement, sanity must prevail besides enthusiasm. The PPP is not in favour of giving a walkover to the PTI government in the Senate and by-polls,” he said in a statement.

Mr Kaira hoped the PDM parties would reach a consensus on the destination of the long march – Islamabad or Rawalpindi – when the time would come to finalise the venue.

PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, however, insisted that the resignations option had not been ruled out.

“PDM has given an ultimatum to Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign till Jan 31. If he does not do so then on Feb 1, the PDM will announce its strategy regarding the long march,” Mr Iqbal told a presser in Model Town here on Saturday.

He said the PDM had demanded the ECP to decide the PTI’s foreign funding case within a month.

“PDM will hold a demonstration outside the ECP building in Islamabad on Jan 19,” he said and wondered why there was six-year delay in deciding this case.

“The proof of Indian and Israeli funding to Imran Khan is present in this case. Imran Khan had defrauded the overseas Pakistanis. This was the first NRO given to Imran Khan,” he said and asked if the cases of Nawaz Sharif were decided forthwith, why there had been such a long delay in Imran Niazi’s cases.

Terming Imran Khan ‘Trump junior’, he said: “America has got rid of Trump and now Pakistan will get rid of a Pakistani Trump.”

PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah Khan said the PPP had proposed to use the resignations as the ‘last option’. “Some other parties in the PDM were also of the same opinion,” Sanaullah said and stressed that the long march would be decisive in the movement.

Published in Dawn, Jannuary 3rd, 2021