PDM decides to defer long-march

PDM has decided to reschedule the long-march which was earlier planned to kick-start on March 26 from Karachi.

The announcement was made by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman after a long 6-hour meeting which took place in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by opposition leaders.

According to details, PPP has requested for some time to deliberate on tendering the resignations from assemblies.

Speaking to the media PDM chief said the March 26 planned long-march has been postponed till the time Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) decides about resignations.

Nine opposition parties have decided to resign from the parliament but PPP has asked for more time to think on the resignations.

The PDM chief then abruptly left the gathering, leaving Pakistani Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz to address the conference, flanked by PPP's Yousaf Raza Gillani.

Maryam said that she does not wish for speculations to rise so will not be speaking about the time sought by PPP.

She spoke, however, of PPP President Asif Ali Zardari's remarks whereby he had asked Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan and reportedly said to him that the party's resignations will only be handed in when he comes back.

She said to this, she responded "very respectfully" by saying that Nawaz's return to Pakistan "would be tantamount to handing his life over to killers which neither do the PML-N leaders want or the party's vote bank".

"And neither do the people of Pakistan want this because the people invest in their leaders. People want leaders who are alive and well," she said.

Maryam said that since she is much younger than the PPP president, she very respectfully added that "Mian sahab's struggle and sacrifices are known to everyone and in this brutal and vengeful tenure of the incumbent government he spent the longest and harshest sentence in jail".

She said that "even while knowing that it is revenge" he left his ailing wife behind in London and came back with his daughter to Pakistan to face a jail term "in a false case".

"He bravely served time in jail, even suffered heart attacks but bore them courageously. The government began to panic when his life was in danger and they sent him abroad.

"But now that he is abroad and is not fully well, as a daughter, I believe no one has the right to call him back. I do not think that after God's mercy, when his life has been spared, it should be handed back to these killers," Maryam said.

She said that the "government will be dissolved, InshaAllah" and insisted a "united PDM" stands before the media.

Maryam said that although Nawaz is abroad, his party is the most active in the country. "The entire party is united under his leadership, standing firm and fighting. I am Nawaz Sharif's representative. Whosoever wishes to speak to him must first speak with me," she added.

Gillani, taking over the briefing, said that he and his party had thanked everyone for the support during the Senate elections, in which he had defeated government-backed candidate Abdul Hafeez Shaikh for the general seat from Islamabad.

He said the March 26 long march had been "bracketed with the resignations" over which PPP has simply sought some time to consult the Central Executive Committee, as it had originally expressed reservations against the move.

Gillani said the PPP had said to PDM, "If you want us to hand in resignations, give us some time. We will go back to the CEC, take their approval and get back to you."

He said that the CEC has previously expressed the view that the opposition's move should come from the parliament.

"Under the new scenario, the PDM leadership has unanimously told the PPP to approach the CEC," Gillani said.

He added that the decision will be announced "soon".

Speaking of the opposition's decision to challenge the Senate chairman elections due to seven votes cast in his favour being rejected by the presiding officer, Gillani said that "he himself said go to the courts".

"We will go to the courts, we will get relief and we get the chairmanship and it will be a victory for all of PDM," he said.