Opposition united in demanding PM’s resignation and fresh elections: Rahbar Committee

ISLAMABAD: Rahbar Committee Convener Akram Durrani said during a press conference, on Saturday, that there was consensus among the opposition on the issue of Prime Minister Imran’s resignation and the demand for fresh elections.

The presser followed a high-level meeting of the Rahbar Committee in which members of the PPP, the PML-N, the JUI-F and the ANP participated.

“In the meeting today, the prospect of calling for a country-wide shutdown and lockdown of all highways also came under discussion,” he said.

Durrani said that the matter of tendering collective resignations also came under discussion during the meeting.

Durrani reacted to the earlier statements by Prime Minister Imran and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak in which the two criticised Maulana Fazl for asking the prime minister to resign.

“If they say that there will be no talk of the prime minister’s resignation, then what is the need to establish contacts,” he asked. “The prime minister and the defence minister should soften their tone.”

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that the government didn’t have any idea about what it was doing.

“The government doesn’t have any idea on how to manage the economy,” he said.

Neither will PM resign nor will premature elections be held: PTI

Prime Minister Imran will neither resign nor will premature elections be held in the country, said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Saturday.

The statement came following a meeting of the party’s core committee one day after the JUI-F and other opposition parties arrived in Islamabad and demanded Prime Minister Imran hand in his resignation.

“If the opposition tries to blackmail, then negotiations must not be held with them,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.

The core committee claimed that the opposition stood divided.

“Opposition can stage a sit-in protest for as long it wants to,” said Prime Minister Imran. “Demanding my resignation is foolishness. I will not cave in to unconstitutional demands,” he added.

The prime minister directed the interior ministry to make necessary arrangements for any type of scenario that unfolds in the coming days.