ISLAMABAD: The government has started contacting opposition parties to dissuade them from launching a mass protest in the federal capital, said defense minister Pervez Khattak on Thursday.
“We have started negotiating with all opposition parties and hopefully [the effort] will yield positive results in the next couple of days,” he said in an informal chat with journalists in Islamabad.
The prime minister on Wednesday announced to form a committee led by Khattak to hold talks with the opposition factions, especially the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) that has announced to start its “Azadi March” on October 27 and enter the federal capital on October 31 to dislodge the government.
JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has been struggling to start an agitation against the government since the general elections in July last year wherein his party only managed to clinch a dozen seats in the National Assembly.
He has now received political support from other major opposition groups – the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – who accuse the government of deteriorating the country’s economy and victimizing opposition politicians by slamming them in jails on corruption charges.
“Pakistan is a democratic country and we want to resolve all issues of the opposition through dialogue,” the defense minister said, though he also warned the opposition parties against creating an environment of chaos and turmoil in the country.
“It is their [opposition’s] democratic right to protest, but if the opposition only wants to spread anarchy in the garb of agitation we won’t allow it,” Khattak added.
Meanwhile, the JUI-F has ruled out the possibility of talks with the government until the prime minister resigns from his position. “This is an illegitimate government, a product of rigged elections and we may talk to them only after the prime minister resigns,” Hafiz Hamdullah, senior JUI-F leader, told Arab News.
He said that “all preparations for the anti-government march are in place and no force can stop us now from marching toward Islamabad.”
Political analysts said the government’s engagement with the opposition parties to stop their protest at this stage would not yield result, but some differences over issues, such as transparency in elections and improvement in governance, can be worked out.
“Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who was reduced to a nobody after the last year’s elections, has succeeded in garnering political relevance through mounting pressure against the government,” Zahid Hussain, a political commentator, told Arab News.
He said the opposition parties would protest against the government as per plan, but “they will neither succeed in getting the prime minister’s resignation nor a new date for fresh polls in the country.”
Government hopeful to avert opposition protest through dialogue
Government hopeful to avert opposition protest through dialogue
- Says it’s opposition’s right to protest, but the government won’t allow anyone to create chaos
- Analysts maintain the JUI-F chief has acquired political relevance by mounting pressure on the government
Pakistan inaugurates new consulate building in Jeddah, pledges improved services for expatriates
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says government is committed to easing consular access for overseas Pakistanis
- The Kingdom is home to one of Pakistan’s largest overseas communities and a key source of remittances
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday inaugurated a new chancery building for its consulate in the Saudi city of Jeddah, underlining the government’s resolve to improve consular services for millions of Pakistanis living and working in the Kingdom.
The inauguration was led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, as Islamabad strengthens diplomatic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, home to one of Pakistan’s largest overseas communities and a key source of remittances.
During the ceremony, Dar praised the efforts of the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah and acknowledged the support of Saudi authorities in completing the project, according to a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
“The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar inaugurated the new chancery building in a small and graceful ceremony in Jeddah,” the statement said.
“He emphasized that the government is committed to facilitating overseas Pakistanis through provision of effective consular services,” it added.
The ceremony included the hoisting of Pakistan’s flag, a tree plantation at the chancery premises, ribbon cutting and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, followed by prayers for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Dar later reviewed the facilities and authorized the transfer of consular operations to the new chancery at the earliest, expressing satisfaction over the completion of the project.
Western Saudi Arabia is home to around 1.8 million Pakistanis, said the statement, adding that the new building is expected to ease access to consular and administrative services for the community.
