ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s major opposition parties on Saturday chose Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman as the head of its newly formed, anti-government alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

The virtual meeting was attended by leaders from various political parties, including the former prime minister and head of Pakistan Muslim League (N), Nawaz Sharif, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, among others.

It follows the establishment of the PDM on Sept. 20, with the opposition parties agreeing to launch a nationwide protest to remove the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration from power.

Last week, the PDM said it would hold its first public rally in Quetta on Oct. 11, with the PDM’s steering committee to meet on Monday to consolidate the alliance’s future political strategy.

On Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked PTI leaders to respond to the opposition’s call for protests and instructed them to devise a legal strategy to bring Sharif back from the UK where he has been seeking medical treatment since November last year.