South Asian Gazette Worldwide News Work
The Pakistan People’s Party on Thursday distanced itself from Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s ‘Plan B’, stating that the party will not participate in blocking roads and highways.
Soon after the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief called off his sit-in in Islamabad, Fazl said that the protest movement set off by the ‘Azadi March’ would spread to every corner of the country, blocking “major arteries and highways – and even bylanes and streets”.
“From day one our policy is clear. We will not become a party of dharna politics. We supported the Azadi March, but can’t come on the roads at this moment,” a senior PPP leader said, adding that the party’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has convened a party meeting to further discuss the issue.
PPP Sindh General Secretary Waqar Mehdi told The Express Tribune that no one from his party would join the sit-ins on main roads and highways. “We only extend our support to a peaceful struggle. The blockage of roads is not on our agenda,” he added.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman abruptly called off his sit-in where thousands of his followers and activists of allied parties had been camping since November 1, calling for Prime Minister Imran Khan to step aside and call fresh elections.
“We’ve decided that we would not stage sit-ins in cities as this would affect the lives of fellow citizens. We’ve decided that we would stage sit-ins on main roads and highways outside the main cities,” the cleric said.
