Pakistan Democratic Movement to hold meeting

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders will convene today to discuss the March senatorial elections and plans to hold a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan following his refusal to resign by the Movement’s January 31 deadline.

Since its inception in September, PDM, a compact of 11 opposition parties, has sought to bring down Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. Expect today’s meeting to focus on the upcoming rally against the PTI government. Thus far, the Movement has held a number of demonstrations in major cities, breaching COVID-19 safety protocols.

The anti-government protest campaign comes amidst an economic crisis. Pakistan’s economy is shrinking, struck by both high inflation rates and a negative growth rate, and opposition leaders blame Khan and the military. Despite the protests drawing large crowds over economic distress, the prime minister enjoys strong military support, making it unlikely that Khan will be imminently removed from power.

Khan has largely dismissed the movement and stresses that Pakistan is headed down the right path to solve the country’s economic woes. In the short run, Khan has eased lockdown measures to keep business and factoring operating while working to increase Pakistan’s exports.

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