Quetta: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) defiantly held its third anti-government rally in the Balochistan capital on Sunday — despite a government warning that militants can target the public gathering — and reiterated their resolve to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying “the sun is about to set” on his government.
The party was held at the Ayub Stadium in Quetta.
In the PDM leadership, Maryam Nawaz, Vice President of PML-N, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman of PPP, and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of JUI-F and PDM leader, gathered together to listen to the speeches of the opposition party.
Maryam first said that after projecting a portrait of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on a French government building, the mood of Pakistanis was hurt.
She asked the people to raise their hands and record their protests against this disrespectful behavior.
The vice chairman of PML-N also expressed regret that the students of Balochistan did not provide scholarships. “The students in Balochistan and Punjab are very close to me.”
“The children of Balochistan were 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 would 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.
Jalsa attendees were heard chanting intermittently: “Charon subon ki awaz Maryam Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz (The voice of four provinces Maryam Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz)” and “Vote ko izzat do (give respect to vote)”.
Mariam emphasized that the people of Balochistan have the same rights as other people in the country to elect their own representatives.
Speaking of a girl, she approached in front of the Yalsa people and told her that three brothers were “missing”. She said that when she and her father were detained, she did not cry, but after hearing the girl’s story , Her eyes were full of tears.
Maryam said she remembered Dr. Shazia and Nawab Akbar Bugti, and how his relatives “not allowed to see his body”.
She slammed those who entered Karachi hotel rooms and asked if these were Pakistani norms. “Do you accept it?” she asked the participants of Yalsa.
Mariam also asked about the “court that sentenced him to be dismantled” after the former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was prosecuted.
The PML-N leader said that the teachings of the founders of Pakistan have been erased and that the people elected representatives are required to be allowed to rule. She said: “Don’t create a fake government.”
She said Balochistan is in the state it is because the vote of the people of Balochistan had not been respected. “[Pakistan’s] freedom and existence will be in jeopardy if we do not stop this today.”
Referring to the Supreme Court’s detailed decision on the reference against Qazi Faez Isa that was quashed, she said: “Imran Khan and his selectors should resign over their historic defeat.”
She said Islamabad High Court Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui should also be served justice, adding that the “sun is about to set” on the current “dictatorial regime”. “The puppet show will soon come to an end,” she said.
