RAWALPINDI: Rejecting a perception that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman can be pressurised, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said the government was under immense pressure from the opposition alliance’s movement to resign by Jan 31.

“Due to PDM movement to get the resignation of the ‘incompetent’ government, the PTI ministers are making a hue and cry as the people supported the stance of the opposition,” she said while talking to reporters after an organisational meeting of the PML-N’s Rawalpindi chapter.

She said the PDM called a meeting to chalk out the plan for a protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) under the chairmanship of Mau­la­na Fazl at his residence on Monday (today).

Ms Aurangzeb said PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz would attend the PDM meeting and would also lead a rally from Rawalpindi. However, she said the place where Ms Nawaz would arrive in Rawalpindi would be informed to the party workers on Monday.

“On January 19, lawyers, doctors, nurses and farmers will all have to leave their homes and join PDM [protest],” she said.

The PML-N spokesperson said the deadline for resignation of the “selected government” was Jan 31. “Setting the date of the foreign funding case on Feb 13 is a result of our pressure. I hope the Election Commission will not come under pressure to make decision in the case,” she said.

She said the government had put “our leaders in the jails; how can we be given a tough time?” Ms Aurangzeb said the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf would be declared guilty in the foreign funding case, adding that all the evidence was available with the ECP.

She said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was incompetent and the PTI government failed to deliver due to incompetency.

Talking about uplift schemes of the previous PML-N government, she said it was not a ‘selected’ government that destroyed the economy of the country, adding that during his tenure, Nawaz Sharif had put the country on development path.

Ms Aurangzeb said the PML-N regime had spent the national wealth on the welfare of the people, produced 14,000 megawatts of electricity, run metro buses and constructed hospitals. On the other hand, she added, the PTI government got Rs14,000 billion loan over the last two-and-a-half years, but failed to launch any development project in the country.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2021