Pakistan Democratic Movement is set to make big decisions on
December 8; PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said on Sunday; hinting at
resignations from the parliament. Addressing a social media workers convention
in Lahore; she urged party workers to not fall under any ‘pressure’. She said after
December 8, it will be a ‘do or die situation’. Speaking to provincial and
national assembly members, she said:- ‘If we call for resignations from the
assemblies, you must be willing to stand by us. Do not fall under any pressure.’
She further said that whoever ‘falls under pressure and goes against the party’
will have to deal with the people; who will surround their homes. Maryam said
said the party workers must embrace any cases registered against them by the
government. She said the people must know ‘how fearful the government is’ of
the Opposition and that "the most that the government can do" is
register cases. ‘You must take these charge sheets, string them together and
wear them proudly like a garland;’ she told party workers, as she lamented that
as many as ‘3,000 first information reports (FIRs)’ are filed after every rally
held by the Opposition. Maryam's remarks, hinting at resignations from
assemblies or possibly a long march; came ahead of a meeting between alliance
members on December 8. ‘The people of Pakistan have won this war. Victory only
remains to be declared in the rally on the 13th;’ she said. A rally
has been planned by the Pakistan Democratic Movement at Lahore's Minar e Pakistan
monument on December 13. Although Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the
11 party Opposition alliance will not be prevented from holding the rally, he
vowed that cases will be registered against all organizers and facilitators of
the rally as large gatherings are a violation of coronavirus safety protocols.
“Imran Khan
must be called by his new name”
Taking aim at the government,
she said that with a single roti (piece of bread) costing Rs30; a family of
8-10 people have no hope of making ends meet. She said PM Imran Khan used to
claim that the ‘green passport will be respected across the world’ but now
flights from Pakistan have been banned. ‘Is there anyone who can ask him what
became of the claims he made?’ she inquired. Speaking of the delay in LNG
procurement; which ultimately led to high gas prices; she said "the prime
minister's friends who run his kitchen were benefited’. ‘People hardly have any
supply of gas in their homes; but they get unbelievably high bills;’ she
followed by saying; adding that owing to the government's ‘mismanagement’; a
loss of Rs122bn had been incurred. She dared the ‘fake and cowardly" prime
minister to come and mingle with the people for two minutes. The PML-N vice
president said that Pakistan's GDP has turned negative; ‘hundreds of
thousands" have become unemployed; medicines are prohibitively expensive;
the ‘wheel of progress has begun to spin in the opposite direction’; European
countries have banned Pakistani flights; people have been robbed of wheat,
sugar; flour, but no one is bothered, and there is no legal action; ‘all
because he is viewed as taabedaar (servile)’. ‘We must now call Imran Khan by
his new name - Taabedaar Khan;’ she said.
Tribute to social media teams
Maryam spoke at length about
how the party's popularity and reach has been propelled by the social media
teams and thanked them for their dedication. ‘Thanks to our social media team;
Nawaz Sharif's voice has reached across the country today;’ Maryam said, as she
paid tribute to teams from across the provinces, taking name after name in
recognition of their ‘hard work’. She thanked social media workers for ‘continuing
to carry forward Nawaz Sharif's narrative’.
Talk of
resignations “a joke”
Earlier in the day; PTI's
Senator Faisal Javed Khan had termed talk of resignations ‘a joke’. He said
that he does not believe there will be any resignations, but even if there are
the government welcomes them. ‘By-elections will be held for whichever seats
they resign from and PTI will win a heavy majority;’ he added. ‘You can try as
hard as you like to get an NRO. There will be no deal;’ Javed told the opposition.
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