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Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, hosts Maryam Nawaz and Maulana Fazlur Rahman, leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, at the power show in Karachi
Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, hosts Maryam Nawaz and Maulana Fazlur Rahman, leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, at the power show in Karachi

Opposition leaders gathered in Karachi for the second round of protests against Prime Minister Imran Khan's government

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Published: Tue 20 Oct 2020, 12:28 PM

Last updated: Tue 20 Oct 2020, 8:11 PM

Thousands of opposition supporters rallied on Sunday in Pakistan's financial capital, Karachi, as part of a campaign against Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, who they accuse of being installed by the military in the country's 2018 election.

Nine major opposition parties formed a joint platform called the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) last month to begin a nationwide movement against the government. They include Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who is the daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif; and Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto. Also part of the opposition is Jamiat-e-Ulma e Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.


The leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement have criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan's two-year tenure, and called out mounting censorship and high inflation rates that have gripped the economy. Pakistan's next general election is scheduled for 2023. The rally in Karachi on Sunday followed a protest by the new alliance in eastern Gujranwala city on Friday.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke via video link from London at the Gujranwala gathering, where he accused army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa of rigging the 2018 elections and orchestrating his ouster in 2017 in what he said were trumped up charges aided by judiciary. Leaders of all the parties, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maryam Nawaz, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also addressed the mass gathering in Gujranwala.


Maryam Nawaz said that she was fighting for the businesses that had been impacted during the government's tenure and the journalists who were being censored; while Bilawal Bhutto highlighted the plight of the country's poor. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who took the stage after Nawaz and Bhutto, noted that the anti-government movement will gain momentum in Multan, Lahore, and Peshawar in the coming days.

Upcoming PDM Rallies

25 October Quetta

22 November Peshawar

30 November Multan

13 December Lahore

Hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party, the second PDM event drew thousands of protestors with promise of change
Hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party, the second PDM event drew thousands of protestors with promise of change
Hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party, the second PDM event drew thousands of protestors with promise of change
Hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party, the second PDM event drew thousands of protestors with promise of change
Hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party, the second PDM event drew thousands of protestors with promise of change
Hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party, the second PDM event drew thousands of protestors with promise of change
Hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party, the second PDM event drew thousands of protestors with promise of change
Hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party, the second PDM event drew thousands of protestors with promise of change

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