The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Sunday held another show of power in Quetta despite an appeal by the Balochistan government to delay the public rally in view of security threats.
Addressing the public gathering, the opposition leaders reiterated their resolve to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying ‘the sun is about to set’ on his government and that the time has come to change the fate of the people and the country.
PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif addressed the meeting via video link. “Looking at this enthusiasm, I am sure that no one will be able to violate the vote’s respect now. I saw this enthusiasm in Gujranwala and Karachi, and now I’m seeing it in Quetta,” said the former premier from London. “I am aware of Baloch people’s problems, Nawaz Sharif knows […] the missing persons issue is still there. I feel pain when I see the victims.”
Like in his previous speeches, Nawaz again strongly criticised the PTI government’s performance and spoke about his disqualification as premier ‘over a flimsy charge’. The former premier said that he was not liked by some quarters because he was the elected representative of the people. He also addressed the arrest of PML-N leader Captain (r) Safdar, saying it is ‘shameful’ how police officials barged into the room and violated the privacy of his daughter Maryam Nawaz and her husband. “Such things prove my point that there is a state above the state,” Nawaz said. “On whose order is the privacy of people violated? On whose orders are doors broken down? If even the province’s chief minister doesn’t know, then who is behind it?”
In her speech, Maryam lamented over the non-provision of scholarships to the students of Balochistan. “The students of Balochistan and Punjab are close to my heart. The children of Balochistan are crying on the streets for the last 12 days [for their scholarships] but no one inquired about their condition,” she said, hoping that their scholarships will be resumed. “I love the people of Balochistan more than the people of Punjab,” she said, speaking of her intentions behind donning a traditional Balochi dress.
Maryam stressed that the people of Balochistan have just as much a right to elect their own representatives as anyone else in the country. Talking about a girl who had approached her ahead of the jalsa and informed her that three of her brothers had ‘disappeared’, she said that when she and her father were detained, she did not cry, however, after hearing the girl’s story, her eyes were full of tears. Maryam said she remembers Dr Shazia, and Nawab Akbar Bugti, and how his loved ones were ‘not allowed to take a look at his body’.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was next to address the gathering remotely, via video link. Speaking from Shigar in Gilgit-Baltistan, Bilawal said that his party will not pull out from the PDM. “We can move two steps forward, but we will not step back,” he added.
Talking about the people of Balochistan, he said that they were a brave lot and that they had sacrificed many lives for their rights. He said the people whether from Karachi, Gujranwala, or Quetta, all want freedom and the rule of democracy. “The people want the freedom to breathe and speak.”
Lashing out at the state the country has been driven to by the incumbent government, he said: “What sort of freedom is this that neither are the people free, nor is there is a free democracy.” He said the opposition is not only present together on the (rally) stage, but are on a single page.
PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was the last major opposition leader to speak, before the event was wrapped up. He condemned the Karachi incident where reportedly law enforcement officials had entered Maryam Nawaz and her husband, retired Captain Safdar Awan’s room by force. “I term the incident with Maryam and Safdar moral bankruptcy,” he said.
Earlier on Saturday, PTM leader Mohsin Dawar was stopped at the Quetta airport and taken into custody by security officials who informed him about a ban on his entry in the Balochistan capital. Reports said MNA Dawar was asked to shift to a rest house till the next flight, but he refused to leave the airport. In the meantime, a number of PTM supporters gathered at the airport, blocked traffic on the main road and chanted slogans against the government. Home Minister Ziaullah Langove confirmed that there was a ban on MNA Dawar’s entry. The ban is set to expire on October 29.
