CHARSADDA: President of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement Maulana Fazalur Rehman has rejected the holding of local body elections under the current ‘selected’ government and demanded general elections without delay.

“The announcement of the local body polls is just a drama to avert the people’s attention from the PDM’s call for the PTI rulers to step down for fresh elections in the country. The PDM is not ready to participate in the local body polls under a government, which came to power by rigging elections,” Mr Fazl told the representatives of the Ahmadzai Union of Journalists in the Darul Uloom Islamia seminary here on Friday.

JUI-F provincial general secretary Attaul Haq Dervesh, district chief Maulana Gohar Shah, former senator Abdur Rashid and other leaders were also present on the occasion.

Mr Fazl, who also heads his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, said the people were badly hit by record inflation, which was caused by the flawed policies and bad governance of the current ‘incompetent and selected’ rulers.

He said the PDM had begun a countrywide protest movement to oust the PTI government.

The PDM chief said the ‘wrong’ policies of the PTI government had defamed the country worldwide.

He criticised the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan for justifying the Pakistani rupee’s depreciation and said Reza Baqir was deceiving the people of Pakistan.

Mr Fazl said the people suffered from the record increase in the value of the US dollar against Pakistani rupee as the prices of essential items had been increased manifold.

He alleged that the government had bowed down to the International Monetary Fund and was following its dictations.

The PDM chief urged the federal government to recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan declaring the latter pro-Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2021