'Don't make yourself controversial,' Fazl tells ECP

• PDM chief says long march plan will be finalised during all-party session scheduled to be held on January 25.
• Says the government does not realise the grievances of the common man.
• Shahbaz Sharif says "we haven’t seen a more incompetent, emaciated, and corrupt government in the history of Pakistan."

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should not make itself “controversial,” Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Wednesday, adding that the commission “should not be enslaved.”

Addressing a press conference, flanked by the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, Fazl said: “We don’t give Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government the right to re-colonise an independent state.”

The JUI chief said that the long march announced against the government has become inevitable and the PDM will march towards the capital on March 23 in a bid to oust the PTI-led government.

He, however, added that the long march plan will be finalised during the all-party session scheduled to be held on January 25.

“The government does not realise the grievances of the common man,” he said, adding that the "entire nation will participate in this anti-government march."

Shedding light on the agenda of the meeting which is to be held on January 25, he said that the anti-government alliance parties are considering options for "the immediate dismissal of the incumbent government."

“We appeal the coalition parties of the government to think in the national interest of Pakistan and about common people,” Fazl said, adding that the PDM wants to keep Pakistan’s have a "free economy."

Speaking on the occasion, the PML-N president said that in the 74-year history of Pakistan, “the PTI government is the most incompetent one to ever come to power” adding that the country is undergoing the "most difficult period."

Shahbaz mentioned that during his meeting with Fazl, both of them also discussed the no-confidence motion and this issue will be further highlighted in the meeting later this month.

Shedding light on the “mini-budget”, he said that a new wave of inflation will be seen because of the supplementary finance bill presented by the government.

“We will fully oppose the cruel measure and the mini-budget proposed by the government in the Parliament,” he reiterated.

Shahbaz further added that surprisingly, the government is "prioritising the interests and agendas of international institutions over the interests of Pakistani citizens."

“We haven’t seen a more incompetent, emaciated, and corrupt government in the history of Pakistan,” Shahbaz asserted.

Endorsing his views, Fazl added that PDM will become the "voice of the common man against rising inflation."

“We believe that the people will directly fight for their rights,” the PDM chief said, adding that this long march will be a “revolutionary step in the history of Pakistan.”

He also added that the PDM will observe solidarity with the people of the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) on February 5.