ISLAMABAD(National Times)- A joint meeting of opposition parties on Tuesday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and called for respecting the democratic mandate of the people of the province.
According to a statement issued after a meeting of the opposition parliamentary parties at Parliament House, the participants strongly condemned the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in the province, the removal of its elected government, and the arrest of political leaders and workers.
The meeting was chaired by NA Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, and attended by Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja and other opposition leaders.
The statement said that Oct 11 would be remembered as a black day in Pakistan’s democratic history. It called the removal of the elected government in KP, the arrest of PTI leaders, including Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, and action against political workers contrary to the mandate given by the people of the province, and democratic values.
The participants demanded that the fundamental rights of the arrested leaders and workers be protected and that the supremacy of the Constitution and the law be upheld, the statement said.
According to the statement, Maulana Fazlur Rehman briefed the meeting on his negotiations with the government, saying the step in KP was taken despite the talks having been completed. The participants appreciated his role in promoting the democratic process, easing political tension and seeking to resolve issues through dialogue.
The statement said questions were also raised at the meeting over what participants described as double standards in the government’s handling of Balochistan and KP.
If the provinces faced law and order or constitutional problems, uniform principles should be applied to resolve them, it said, adding that dissolving an elected government or taking undemocratic action on the basis of political differences was not a solution.
The rights of the people and the mandate of elected representatives in all provinces, including KP and Balochistan, must be respected equally, the statement said.
Instead of unilateral decisions, the statement added, a comprehensive national strategy against terrorism should be formulated in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and the province should be given the resources it needs.
