Pakistan opposition accuses government of Kashmir 'sellout'
The opposition parties in Pakistan have accused the Imran Khan-led federal government of 'selling out' Kashmir under an international conspiracy.
According to Dawn, an English daily in Pakistan, leaders from different political parties came together to denounce the government's stand on Kashmir after India revoked its special status on August 5.
The joint opposition's multi-party conference (MPC) held in Islamabad on Monday has decided to reach Islamabad and vowed to lock down the city to topple the government.
"The Pakistan opposition parties are preparing a charter of demands before going to Islamabad," said convener and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman during a press conference on Tuesday.
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif did not attend the opposition parties conference. However, other leaders of their parties were present at the conference.
Among the leaders who attended were Farhatullah Babar, Sherry Rehman and Nayyar Hussain Bokhari of the PPP and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal of the PML-N.
Rehman said the Rehbar Committee of the joint opposition would meet on August 26 and come up with a charter of demands and another MPC would take place on August 29 in which the demands would be reviewed by the heads of the main opposition parties.
"The joint opposition has decided to launch a movement which will end with the ouster of the government," Rehman added.
"The present situation gives rise to fears that it might have been decided in Prime Minister Imran Khan's meeting with US President Donald Trump last month that Pakistan will keep silent if India decides to change the fate of Kashmir," he said.
He said the people of Pakistan and Kashmir are the victims of an international conspiracy and the government is a part of it.
India revoked Article 370 and 35 A of the Constitution, which gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and split it into two union territories on August 5.
