Opposition to hold countrywide protests from Oct 20: Fazl

• PDM chief announces that there will be rallies, protests and wheel-jam strikes countrywide.
• "Borders with Afghanistan and Iran should be opened immediately for trade," Rehman demands.
• "PDM wants a democratic and constitutional system in the country," he says.

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday announced that the Opposition will hold countrywide protests and rallies from October 20.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, he reiterated that the Opposition has completely rejected the National Accountability (NAB) Ordinance 2021.

"The institute of NAB has always been used against the Opposition," Rehman said, adding that he has no hope of accountability from NAB.

Rejecting the electoral reforms, Rehman said that the electronic voting machine (EVM) is another name for the old results transmission system (RTS).

"The government which has come into power as a result of rigging has no right to give a formula for free and fair elections in the country," the PDM chief said.

Shedding light on the Afghanistan issues, he said that borders with Afghanistan and Iran have been closed, which is affecting people living on the border. 

"Borders with Afghanistan and Iran should be opened immediately for trade," Rehman demanded.

"Our demand is to hold a general election," he reiterated, adding that unless there are transparent general elections in the country, there is no justification for local body elections.

He announced that there will be rallies, protests and wheel-jam strikes starting from October 20.

"PDM wants a democratic and constitutional system in the country," he said. "We have to work hard and stand firm, the result is in the hands of Allah." 

Fazl, Shahbaz vow to start anti-inflation campaign

A day ago, PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif had a telephonic conversation with Fazl and announced that the Opposition will start a campaign against the rising inflation in the country.

Taking to its official Twitter account, the PML-N confirmed that Shahbaz and Fazl criticised the government's policies during the phone call and have decided to launch a full-fledged campaign against "the worst inflation in the country's history".

The two leaders agreed to join anti-government protests of other Opposition parties.

During the phone call, Shahbaz told Fazl that leaders need to get out of their homes to "save the nation from inflation, unemployment, and the ongoing economic catastrophe across the country".

The two leaders confirmed that to protest against the "historic" inflation, there will be demonstrations, rallies, and marches across the country.

'After increasing inflation, talks with IMF also failed'

Earlier in the day, criticising the PTI-led government, Shahbaz said that with the country already battling inflation, negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have also failed. 

"After the failure of the talks with the IMF, the government should revert the hike in prices," Shahbaz demanded.

He questioned the government's monetary policy and said: "Despite accepting all the conditions laid down by the IMF, talks with the body still failed. What sort of a strategy is this?"

He said that the PTI government's "three years of blind obedience to the IMF" could reap no benefits because the people continued to suffer the whole while.

"The government could achieve nothing."

Shahbaz said that the government "deceived the masses and also tricked the IMF".

"This government has been seeing to the economic murder of people for the last three years," he said in the statement, adding that the government should explain why it had to increase the prices of electricity, gas, petrol, flour, and sugar.

"The government should also let the nation know what talks were held with the IMF," he said.

Shahbaz said that when the PML-N government, led by Nawaz Sharif, completed the IMF's programme in 2015, "Imran Niazi continued to criticise him".

"Imran Niazi used to chant slogans that he would rather commit suicide than going to the IMF," Shahbaz recalled.