I support naming generals, says Fazl

Fazlur Rehman, president of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), has said that he supports the idea of naming the military leadership. 

Answering a question from a journalist vis-à-vis PML-N patron Nawaz Sharif’s decision to name the generals allegedly interfering in political matters of the country, Fazl said naming or not naming someone was not an issue at all; it was just the media that was trying to make an issue out of it. He said he was in support of naming the military leadership. “When the president and the prime minister can be named, why not the official of an institution?” he asked. He said the point was not just to name someone, but to reform the system in the country. 

Speaking to the media after a meeting of PDM leaders in Islamabad, Fazl said the PDM, an alliance of 11 opposition political parties currently trying to topple the federal government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), would accelerate its campaign against the government and hold more rallies in several parts of the country.

He said the political situation in the country and the “most urgent issue” of economic crisis came under discussion at the meeting. 

Fazl said that several leaders or their representatives attended the meeting. From the PPP, he said, former president Asif Ali Zardari attended the meeting via video-link. He said that PDM’s future course of action was discussed at the meeting keeping in view the issues plaguing Pakistan. 

He said the 11-party movement has decided to draft a charter. The PDM steering committee would meet on November 13 and all parties would bring forward their recommendations at the meeting, he said. 

On November 14 in Islamabad, he said, PDM leaders will convene and deliberate on the recommendations of the steering committee and give the charter a final shape.

He said that opposition leaders were facing cases framed by the National Accountability Bureau and other institutions, but the decision on PTI’s foreign funding case was still pending. He said the ruling PTI was silent on Jahangir Khan Tareen’s corruption.

He said the meeting expressed concern at the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Jang and Geo Mir Shakilur Rehman who has been rotting in jail for months now despite the expiry of the remand granted by the court to the NAB.