Says will not respond to Bilawal’s remarks
Staff Reporter Islamabad
A leader of JUI-F, Hafiz Hamdullah, said on Friday that the Pakistan Democratic Movement would boycott the joint parliamentary session going to be held next week.
The announcement followed a meeting of the PDM’s steering committee, attended by PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb, JUI-F’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Owais Noorani, Akram Khan Durrani, Hafiz Hamdullah, Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai.
Hafiz Hamdullah spoke to the media following the meeting to announce the decision. “PDM stands with media organisations and will continue to stand by them,” he said.
He said that what had occurred earlier in the day during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs was “non-parliamentary” and “non democratic”.
“Babar Awan and Azam Swati has insulted the Election Commission and the Parliament,” Hamdullah said.
The meeting decided that on September 26, a “big” PDM convention will be held in Islamabad, he said, adding that lawyers, journalists and labourers will be invited to attend.
“PDM will gather everyone’s point of view in the convention,” Hamdullah said. Speaking of other decisions taken during the meeting, he said that the government’s “unilateral” electoral reforms were rejected. “These unilateral reforms are another attempt to steal the election,” he said.
The JUI-F leader noted that Azam Swati had remarked that the ECP must be “set on fire” and that federal ministers “sought to take the state institutions hostage”.
“The government wishes to control institutions through threats,” he added. Hamdullah said that on October 16, the PDM will hold a rally in Faisalabad and on October 31 in Dera Ismail Khan. He added that on October 14, a “Mufti Mahmud Conference” will be held, in honour of one of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s founding members.
Referring to the PPP’s falling out with the PDM, he said: “We will not speak against our political friends.”
“Bilawal may use whatever language he deems appropriate. But the PDM will not respond to his remarks,” he said.
