Anti-government rally passing through Pakistan’s populous Punjab province

ISLAMABAD: The mass anti-government protest march, led by the rightwing Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, entered Pakistan’s most densely populated Punjab province and is expected reach Lahore on Tuesday night.
The procession which set out on Sunday from the southern port city of Karachi demands the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan, claiming that last year’s general elections were rigged in favor of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Along the 1,440 km journey to the country’s capital, the rally is passing through major Pakistani cities and has been joined by thousands of seminary students along with the convoys of major political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The caravan will reach Islamabad on Oct 31 and is expected to be the one of the biggest public gatherings in the federal capital after the 2014 sit-in by Imran Khan against the PML-N administration.
The prime minister also chaired a federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss important national issues, including the ongoing political situation and anti-government protest.
On Tuesday, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the JUI-F, allowing it to hold its rally in the city.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while addressing the marchers on Monday, said his party was “moving forward with full confidence.”
He added that he would announce his next course of action in Islamabad.
However, PM Khan blamed the organizers of the march for blackmailing the government to protect “corrupt leaders.”
“As long as I am alive,” he added, “whatever the opposition wants to do, whether they blackmail me by using the Azadi March or adopt any other means, I promise the nation that corrupt leaders will not receive [any concessions] from me.”
Khan won last year’s election after he promised to end corruption and help middle class families. However, the economy is running into headwinds and, in July, the government agreed to receive a $6 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.
The extended fund facility came with stringent stabilization reforms that led to record inflation in the country.