Opposition staging sit-in outside Parliament House today

ISLAMABAD: Members of several opposition parties, led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders, are all set to stage a march and sit-in outside the Parliament on Monday (today), demanding free and fair elections in the country.

The opposition parties will march from Parliament House to offices of the nearby Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) followed by a protest sit-in to press the ECPfor army’s involvement in the process of door-to-door verification of voter lists in Karachi and redrawing of electoral constituencies. PML-N says the sit-in is aimed at making the ECP a fully autonomous body while the PPP has termed it a source of cheap publicity. Nationalist parties of Sindh and Balochistan have also planned to join the PML-N in their protest. The PML-N is leading this sit-in while other parties include, Jamat-e-Islami (JI), SunniTehrik (ST), Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Awami League (AL). Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F has refused the join the opposition in their protest. Fazl says “since the PML-N did not support our walkout from the National Assembly against governor’s rule in Balochistan so we will also not render support to their sit-in. PML-N leader Ishaque Dar says the ECP should implement Supreme Court’s court verdict on delimitation in Karachi. On the other hand, ruling PPP leader Mola Bux Chandio has termed the sit-in as “a conspiracy against democracy”. Chandio said some elements want to postpone general elections but their wishes would not be fulfilled. http://rtilive.pk/detail/10511