PM Imran Khan lashes out at PDM, says Opposition coalition died on its own

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday took on the anti-government campaign — the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — saying the "infighting" Opposition coalition already "died on its own".

Speaking to government officials and his party's representatives here in Islamabad, PM Imran Khan said those who were talking about submitting their resignations were now themselves running away from the same. "The PDM itself is marred by infighting and the Opposition [parties] are avoiding accountability," he added.

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman should give an account of his money and properties, the premier said, challenging the religious leader and president of the JUI-F to present himself for accountability.

Participants of the meeting said that PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz had tarnished the image of all the Opposition parties that are part of the PDM coalition. Just today, two members of the National Assembly resigned before vanishing, they noted.

PM Imran Khan reiterated that the Opposition's claim about rigging was false and that had they been serious about electoral reforms, they would not have opposed the government's initiative of open voting in the Senate.

The PPP and the PML-N were also deviating pointblank from the Charter of Democracy's Article 23, which called for holding Senate elections through open voting, he observed.

The prime minister advised his advisers, special assistants, and other government officials to unmask the Opposition's "dual policy" on electoral reforms and apprise the nation of their malicious behaviour.

Stressing on the need for action to be taken against the land mafia, PM Imran Khan noted that there were "major land-grabbing mafias" in the PML-N itself.