Pakistan opposition parties to meet over 'Azadi March' strategy

Pic courtesy: IANS

Islamabad: A meeting of the Rehbar Committee, which comprises representatives of Pakistan's opposition parties, is slated to take place here on Saturday to plan out a future course of action for the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl's (JUI-F) anti-government 'Azadi March'.

The meeting will take place later at JUI-F leader Akram Khan Durrani`s residence, reports Dawn news.

The development comes after the country's two major opposition parties - the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) - announced that they would not become a part of the sit-in announced JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman as part of the 'Azadi March'.

The leaders and office-bearers of the two parties said on Friday that they already told Rehman in categorical terms that they would only attend the public meeting and would not support any sit-in, Dawn news reported.

The parties said they had not issued any specific directives to their workers and activists regarding participation in the sit-in.

Among the leaders expected to attend Saturday`s meeting are PPP`s Farhatullah Babar and Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, PML-N`s Ahsan Iqbal and Ayaz Sadiq, Awami National Party General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain and National Party Senator Tahir Bizenjo, among others.

The `Azadi March`, which was spearheaded by the JUI-F to call for toppling the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, entered Islamabad on Thursday night.

Rehman has given Prime Minister Imran Khan a two-day deadline to resign.