PDM fully united for Senate elections 2021, says Fazlur Rehman

• Fazlur Rehman says PDM "fully united" for the upcoming Senate elections.
• Notes that leadership meetings to be held immediately after the Senate elections and a new strategy worked out.
• Says "getting rid of such rulers will be a service to the people of Pakistan".

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is "fully united" for the upcoming Senate elections 2021, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the Opposition-led anti-government coalition, said Sunday.

Speaking to the media alongside PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari after the two met here in Islamabad, Fazlur Rehman said the leadership meetings would be held immediately after the Senate elections and a new strategy would be worked out and clarified.

"The PDM is the only voice of the people across the country and getting rid of such rulers [incumbent government] will be a service to the people of Pakistan," the PDM and JUI-F chief said.

Clarifying that the PDM was just the name of the movement and not an electoral alliance, he said the Opposition parties were trying not to cut each other's votes in the election from a moral perspective.

"They thought that the PDM parties would damage each other's votes themselves but the PDM is united in all four provinces as well as the centre and is contesting the Senate elections.

"God willing, successful results will come out of the Senate elections," he added, noting that there was "an atmosphere of hopelessness in the ranks of the PTI government."

Fazlur Rehman added that with regard to the rampant inflation and security situation of Pakistan, the PDM was the "only voice of the people." Referring to a firing incident earlier this week, he noted that "three of our youth were martyred in Islamabad" adding that similar incidents were happening in other areas as well.

"When there is no peace, such rulers will be considered a failure," he emphasised. The strategy of a movement and the one prior to elections "is different", he added, noting that a plan of action had been agreed upon as the National Assembly lawmakers were set to gather on Monday.

The JUI-F boss lauded the anti-government coalition, saying it was operating "very successfully as a movement".

"Our candidates will be more successful in the Senate," he said. "With regard to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the strategy for the Senate elections has been decided."

In addition, Bilawal, the PPP boss, said the PDM had challenged the PTI regime "on every front" and wished to send a message through the upcoming Senate election 2021 that "even the government's lawmakers are not with the government".

"We will be successful in our mission," he stressed. "We have prepared for both the open ballot and secret ballot method" in the Senate elections, he added, observing that the democratic lawmakers would support the PDM.

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Bilawal vowed to go to the PTI government's home base and challenge it there. "We will also give a tough time to the government in KP," he added.

"The formula that has been worked out for Pakhtunkhwa will unite and challenge the government. On the one hand, there's [PPP candidate and former premier] Yusuf Raza Gillani and, on the other, is PTIMF candidate", he explained, referring to Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

"The PML-N seats won from Punjab will benefit us in electing the Senate chairperson and these votes will be very important," he added.

The PPP chief also mentioned that the anti-government coalition had held talks with the PTI's ally, the Karachi-based MQM-P, and "hopefully they will join the voice of the Opposition".

"The MQM-P was elected from Karachi but the federal government left Karachi orphaned. We have talked to the MQM-P, members of the PTI government, and other allies of the regime.

"We hope that the Supreme Court will rule in accordance with the Constitution and the law," Bilawal added.