Leaders of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council have vowed that they would stage a sit-in outside parliament on February 20 if supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan were resumed.
At a news conference on Saturday, the DPC leaders said restoration of NATO supplies would be tantamount to mocking the national honour and sovereignty. They also said an all-party conference (APC) on the Balochistan issue would be held on February 23.
Those who attended the news briefing included Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) chief Samiul Haque, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hassan, Jamiat Ulema Pakistan (JUP) chief Sahibzada Abu Al Khair Muhammad Zubair, Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and Ahl-e Sunnat Wal Jamaat chief Muhammad Ahmed Ludhyanvi. Haque said the DPC leaders had discussed the country’s situation in detail and decided to keep the decision of staging a sit-in outside parliament on February 20.
Political and religious parties in DPC would join the sit-in. He said DPC leaders’ conference would be held in Islamabad on February 19.
The DPC was extremely concerned over the Balochistan issue and taking it up in the congress of the United States was a direct interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, he said, adding that the statement issued by the US Defence Committee was provoking and serious.
JI chief Hassan said people had welcomed the DPC across the country, which manifested their trust. The biggest challenge in the country was US interference. He said the DPC’s agenda was clear that NATO supply should remain discontinued. NATO supply via Pakistan’s air routes was a matter of grave concern and the DPC protested vehemently on the statement of US ambassador.
