Pakistan Democratic Movement heads to meet over long march plan

ISLAMABAD: Heads of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance comprising 11 of the country's opposition parties, will meet here on Tuesday to finalise plans for the next phase of its anti-government campaign which includesa "final and decisive long march".

Several PDM leaders told Dawn news on Saturday during the meeting, the heads of the parties would discuss various proposals for enhancing pressure on the incumbent government to quit, the strategy for the long march and the option of turning it into an indefinite sit-in.

Sources in the PDM told Dawn that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) were in favour of holding an indefinite sit-in in Islamabad after submission of resignations.

But Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was yet to approve the proposal and had sought some time for an in-house consultation before making a final decision. "Yes, we are planning for an indefinite sit-in," PML-N's secretary general Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn news. The PDM is slated to hold its last public power show in Lahore on December 13, which will be the final face-off between the government and opposition before a likely march towards capital Islamabad.

The five earlier PDM rallies were held on October 16 in Gujranwala, October 19 in Karachi, October 25 in Quetta, November 22 in Peshawar and November 30 in Multan. (IANS)

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