Lawmakers to quit en masse, warns joint oppn alliance

ISLAMABAD: Raising the political temperature, the eleven-party opposition alliance threatened their lawmakers will resign en masse by the end of this month from parliament to paralyse the government and force Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to call snap elections.

Such a move could put the Imran Khan government on the defensive as there are widespread allegations of illegality in the mandate of the present government.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said that national and provincial lawmakers belonging to member parties of the opposition group will hand over their resignations individually to the heads of their parties by December 31.

The decision was announced during a press briefing after a meeting of the alliance that lasted more than four hours.

Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Zardari of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also addressed the meeting through video link from London and Karachi, respectively.

But there is news of differences over political strategy on how to move ahead, say observers.

Rehman denied media reports that the PPP was reluctant to resign from parliament.

Observers said that the party, which enjoys a majority government in the Sindh province, does not want to leave provincial assemblies or let go of its provincial government.

The PML-N, at the same time, has started full scale preparations for a PDM rally in Lahore on Sunday. It is believed that if PDM makes a good show in Lahore, the Imran Khan government will come under pressure to enter talks with opposition party leaders.

The PDM has demanded the removal of Khan and holding of general elections. A successful rally in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, which is the political heartland of Pakistan, could force the army to rethink its strategy about supporting the Khan government and press for changes and compromise, say observers.