PDM announces whitepaper on govt's 3-year performance 'exposing corruption, rigging'

• PDM "gathering evidence" for white paper to "expose" government.
• "Rigging" in 2018 general elections "responsible for government's failures": PDM.
• PDM rejects government's "unilateral" electoral reforms.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday announced it will present a white paper against the government's performance over the last three years — which aims to "expose its corruption, prejudiced accountability, and rigging in the elections".

"The evidence is being gathered and a white paper will be presented from the PDM's platform to [expose] the government before the people," PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said while addressing a press conference.

Abbasi's press conference came after the Opposition alliance's steering committee held a meeting which mulled over recommendations presented during an August 11 meeting in Islamabad.

"The reason behind the incumbent government's failures is the rigging of the 2018 general elections, and till the time this country's affairs are not in line with the Constitution, the problems of the people cannot be resolved," the former prime minister said.

"It is crystal clear that democracy cannot thrive in Pakistan till the elections are not transparent and held without interference," he added.

Representatives of all parties who attended the meeting backed these views and reiterated that running the country according to the Constitution was the need of the hour, he said.

Schedule for rallies

The participants have prepared a schedule for rallies across the country, which will be presented before a meeting in which all party heads will be in attendance, he said.

"The meeting will take place on August 28, and it will finalise the schedule," Abbasi said.

The PDM had earlier announced that it would hold a "massive" anti-government rally on August 29 in Karachi.

The participants of today's meeting also reiterated their rejection of the "unilateral" electoral reforms, which they termed as the government's bid to "steal" the next elections, he said.

New 'Charter of Pakistan'

Abbasi said the government was trying to "rob people of their right to select their representatives" by introducing electoral reforms.

PDM, nearly six months back, had issued an initial "Charter of Pakistan" that aimed to resolve the issues of the people, however, the work on it was interrupted, and it could not be completed, he said.

A committee has been formed which would chalk out another "Charter of Pakistan" within six weeks and present it before the PDM's leaders, Abbasi said. "It will aim to establish real democracy in the country," he added.

Responding to a question, the former prime minister said Maulana Fazlur Rehman had congratulated the Taliban for taking over the country as the chief of the JUI-F. "It is not a hidden fact," he said.