The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has asked the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to delay its upcoming jalsa in Peshawar due to threats of a possible terrorist attack.
“Peshawar has witnessed a terrorism incident in which innocent children of a madrassa were targeted. The PDM should reconsider holding its Peshawar rally in view of the potential threat of terrorism,” said KP Minister for Labour and Culture Shaukat Yousafzai on Saturday.
The PDM, which has held jalsas in Gujranwala, Karachi and Quetta, plans to flex its muscles next in Peshawar on November 22.
Yousafzai said the government will not ban any rallies but will provide foolproof security to those attending them. The minister said that the Opposition wanted to save the corrupt “under the guise of inflation”.
“The PDM should not play with the lives of the people to save the corrupt,” said Yousafzai. “The opposition has the right to raise public issues, but it wants to protect the corrupt under the guise of inflation, which will not be allowed”.
He said the speeches being made in PDM rallies were providing opportunities for the enemy to further its propaganda against Pakistan. The PTI leader said the nation was standing by the security forces in their fight against terrorism.
Yousafzai said the government was willing to talk to the Opposition if they wished to do so over any genuine issue. “If they have an agenda on public issues, the government is ready to negotiate with them. The aim of PDM is to save the corrupt,” he added.
The minister said that all the indicators of economic recovery were moving in the right direction. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was aware of inflation and was taking strict measures to control it.
The PDM has called for PM Imran Khan’s resignation and listed other demands as well when 11 Opposition parties formed an alliance to put pressure on the government.
In its rallies, the PDM has hit out at the federal government and the military, calling an end to the practice of rigging elections and voicing the demand for free, fair and transparent polls in Pakistan.