Islamabad:
Despite the frequent cancellations of places, the opposition parties managed to convene and conclude their two -day multiparty conference on Thursday, asking for the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law, the new “fair” elections, the liberation of political prisoners and the end of what calls a repression of the government in the dissent.
The obstacles to holding the conference of the opposition matches faced their first challenge even before the conference could begin, since the organizers had claimed that the local administration of the twin cities did not allow them to hold the conference until the champion trophy of the ICC 2025 ended.
The obstacles continued until the end of the conference, but the blockade could not silence the opposition. On Thursday, the opposition alliance, Tehreek-E-Tahaffuz-E-Ayeen-E-Pakistan (TTAP), proceeded with its great conference, some opposition members climbed the doors while others made their way in a local hotel after the authorities blocked the event.
Although they are denied places in twin cities due to safety arrangements for the Cricket tournament previously, the TTAP had promised to hold the conference, which it can. Finally he did and celebrated the event in the hotel reception area.
Earlier, Convener of the Newly-Registered Political Party, Awam Pakistan, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, The Chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Sahibzada Hamid Raza of Sunni Ittehad Council, and opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, Salman Akram Raja, The Secretary General of the Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf, among others, were prevented from entering the place. However, they managed to enter and celebrate the event.
The two -day opposition meeting, aimed at addressing alleged constitutional violations, human rights violations and political instability, was affected by the accusations that the government pressed the administration of the place to revoke permission for its final session. According to the reports, the government side denied the accusations.
The conference culminated with a statement that describes a series of demands, including the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law as the only solution to Pakistan’s crises.
TTAP leaders blamed the general elections of February 8, which according to them were manipulated, for the prevailing political, economic and social agitation.
In addition, they declared that the current Parliament lacks moral, political and legal legitimacy. The other demands included the reversal of the amendments allegedly considered contrary to the Constitution, the immediate liberation of all political prisoners and the abolition of the prevention of amendments of the Law of Electronic Crimes (PECA) that, argued the leaders of the opposition, are being used to suffocate the dissent.
The statement also emphasized the urgent need to address complaints related to the distribution of water resources between federal units under the 1991 water agreement, warning that the lack of doing so could exacerbate instability.
The opposition leaders stressed that Pakistan’s recovery depends on free, transparent and fair elections. They also requested a unified national strategy to stabilize the country and committed to a continuous struggle until their demands are met.
The opposition promised to continue its collective political efforts, stating that only adherence to constitutional principles can take Pakistan out of their current crisis.
In their speeches, opposition leaders lashed out at the Government and its policies, saying that the ruling alliance supposedly lacked the public mandate and that is why the country was not progressing.
Na’s opposition leader Omar Ayub said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi should award the “Duffer Award” to the person who suggested that the opposition should be denied the conference.
Ayub said the country cannot progress by publishing ads in newspapers. He said that the opposition had met for the supremacy of the Constitution and ensure that the rule of law prevails in the country.
Awam Pakistan general secretary, Miftah Ismail, said it is not a policy where only family members become first lowercase or occupy key positions, saying that the Government did not comply with the law and the Constitution and the assembly is flooded with people chosen in form 47.
Ismail, who had served as Minister of Finance during the PML-N government, said that instability will prevail while the political confrontation continues. He asked the movement of the authorities to block 100 or more people to discuss key issues in a closed room, saying that they ask why people protest.
PTI’s secretary general, Salman Akram Raja, said that different parts continued to come to power with the help of powerful rooms, saying that many mistakes were made in the past, but that we do not fall in the past now and move forward to address the challenges. Raja said that the holiness of the houses was violated, saying that this was not political but a matter of decency.
On February 8, he reiterated that the rights of the people were stolen, warning that the government cannot run like this. He urged people to leave, saying that if we lift our voices together, there will be no obstacle. He guaranteed that the founder of PTI imprisoned Imran Khan will not attack any to leave, saying that if he wanted to go abroad, then he could have taken the opportunity a long time ago.
Achakzai said that the prime minister and the Interior Minister must be reserved in relation to the incidents of November 26, adding that security forces should work in a framework that is being followed throughout the world. He urged political parties to promise that they would stop looking for the powerful help of the interested parties to create space.
Achakzai said the opposition will make its own assembly whose speaker will be the leader of PTI Asad Qaiser, saying that if the titular assembly ends its membership, they would challenge such decisions before the courts. He said there will be no conversations with the government, saying that only conversations with the establishment will be held and that also to give them a safe passage to stop interfering with politics. He said that the only way to save the country was to guarantee the supremacy of the Constitution.
The president of the PTI, the lawyer Gohar Khan, said that PTI faced what he faced the leadership of the opposition when entering the hotel on Thursday. He demanded rapid surveys, saying that the possession of a government is five years, but new elections can be maintained taking into account the prevailing situation of the country. He urged that it was time to stand on the right side of the story.
Gohaha said that Imran Khan believes in public power and that is why he was in jail. He recalled that PTI was not allowed to hold conventions during the general elections. Currently, former Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said there was no constitution in the country, saying that the citizens’ contract has been completed and freedom of expression has been abolished after the sin amendments.
The leader of Jamaat-E-Islami, Liaquat Baloch, said we must decide that the Constitution must be confirmed with all force, and added that we must fight for the independence of the courts and that the democratic force must refuse to become a tool of the establishment.
The Jui-F senator Kamran Murtaza said that the government contributed to make the conference successful blocking access and denying the places. As reported, he clarified that the JUI-F was not a signatory of the declaration of the opposition parties, since the party only attended the conference as an observer.
