PESHAWAR: Awami National Party has expressed satisfaction over the participation of people in Pakistan Democratic Movement’s rally in Peshawar and termed it a referendum against the government.

ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said in a statement here on Monday that government applied different tactics to create hurdles to workers of the opposition political parties but despite that they reached the venue of the public meeting.

Mian Iftikhar, who is also spokespersons for PDM, said that despite suspension of internet, mobile phone service and closure of various roads including a portion of motorway, the people managed to participate in the gathering.

He said that holding of public rallies was a democratic and constitutional right of opposition. He said that government unveiled its ‘undemocratic face’ by not allowing the public meeting.

Mian Iftikhar alleged that the government’s efforts to scare people through security alerts and spread of coronavirus also failed to stop them from listening to their leaders. He said that the large scale participation of people proved that they were not ready to tolerate the ‘incompetent’ rulers any longer.

He said that price hike and unemployment were the main issues that forced all and sundry to support PDM as the poverty-hit people had lost purchasing powers to afford routine expenses and educate their children.

Mian Iftikhar said that on one hand the government was using Covid-19 pandemic against opposition but it failed to take any serious step for public safety while on the other hand political parties arranged face masks and sanitizers for the participants of the public meeting.

Appreciating people for participation in the gathering, he said that government ministers had focused attention on anti-PDM propaganda but they would be unable to mislead people. He said that protest movement would continue till ouster of the government so that fresh general elections could be held in a free and fair manner.

Meanwhile, ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan in a separate statement also appreciated the party workers for participation in the PDM rally in Peshawar.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2020