ISLAMABAD: The combined opposition in Pakistan has decided to launch a countrywide movement to press for resignation of General Pervez Musharraf as president and chief of army staff after Eid-al-Fitr.

“There will be protests against the government inside and outside the parliament,” a meeting of the steering committee of opposition decided.

The meeting held at the residence of Chairman Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Raja Zafarul Haque was attended by committee’s co-ordinator Liaquat Baloch, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Lt Gen (Retd) Hamid Gul, Lt Gen (Retd) Faiz Ali Chishtie, Mohamed Nawaz Gondal, Maulana Abdul Jalil Naqvi, Hakeem Qari Gul Rehman and Air Marshal (Retd) Syed Zulfiqar Ali.

The opposition parties decided to make maximum use of Iftar parties during the holy month of Ramadan to develop contacts with people and mobilise them against the government and activate their workers for the movement.

“The opposition parties will make mass contact at every level and workers would prepare themselves for the movement during the month of Ramadan,” Liaquat Baloch said after meeting.

The steering committee was formed during the national leaders’ conference convened by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and attended by all the opposition parties and groups in Islamabad on September 4 to chalk out a strategy for the movement.

Baloch said the top leadership of opposition including Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Imran Khan and Professor Mohamed Saeed would be invited at a meeting of the steering committee at the residence of Raja Parvaiz Ashraf in Islamabad on October 10.

“The meeting will give final approval to the recommendations of the committee,” Baloch, who is also deputy secretary general of MMA, said.

According to the programme, the opposition parties would protest the alleged rigging in the local government elections, price hike, unemployment and lawlessness inside and in front of the parliament.

The steering committee also formed a five-member committee comprising Liaquat Baloch, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and Imran Khan to finalise the programme of mass contact, seminars, corner and public meetings, conventions of students, workers, youth, women, traders and lawyers and prepare the ground for protest demonstrations all over the country after Eid-al-Fitr.

“There is consensus among opposition parties that there will be no dialogue with the government as they lost trust in it,” Baloch said.

The opposition leaders attending the steering committee meeting were of the view that the government resorted to worst kind of rigging during local government elections which is a black chapter in the history of the country.

“The role of election commission and judiciary during the conduct of local government elections is also regrettable,” the meeting observed.

Baloch said the conduct of local government polls had shown that no fair, impartial and transparent elections were possible in presence of General Musharraf.

He said that the steering committee also directed organisations of opposition parties at provincial, district and tehsil levels to hold meetings of their joint action committees.

“The meeting also discussed government failure on internal and external fronts and constitutional and economic crisis created by it,” he said. - Internews