Opposition vows to step up pressure on govt over dharna.

Byline: Iftikhar A. Khan and Kalbe Ali

ISLAMABAD -- As the opposition vows to increase pressure on the government while keeping its future plans under wraps, Prime Minister Imran Khan tells his party's lawmakers not to worry about Azadi march led by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F).

'The matter will be solved through reconciliation,' the prime minister told the PTI legislators during a meeting on Thursday.

On the other hand, the opposition's Rehbar Committee met with JUI-F leader Akram Khan Durrani in the chair and decided to mount pressure on the government for acceptance of their demands.

Mr Durrani told reporters after the meeting that the opposition's Azadi march would 'assume a new dimension' in the next two days. Without taking the lid off the plans, he said new moves would be made in the next few days in the light of recommendations given during Thursday's meeting.

He also announced that fresh caravans of protesters from parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be joining the sit-in, leaving a hint there was no immediate plan to wrap up the Azadi march. He said the protesters were in high spirit and even ready to stay up to three months despite the harsh weather condition.

Mr Durrani said all political parties had decided to increase pressure on the government, adding that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had told PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in clear terms that any decision would be taken by the Rehbar Committee.

PPP secretary general Farhatullah Babar said the opposition was putting the government under pressure through Azadi march. He said it was the first phase of the protest campaign and various proposals came under discussion for the next phase which the parties would discuss with their leaders.

However, he said, the details of proposals being mulled for the next phase could not be divulged as it would allow the government an opportunity to take counter-measures. Answering a question about the chances of a settlement, he said the issue could be resolved in minutes if the prime minister stepped down.

Mr Babar and Nayyar Hussain Bukhari of the PPP, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Ameer Muqam of the PML-N, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan's Owais Noorani, Qaumi Watan Party's Hashim Babar, Jamiat Ahle Hadith's Shafeeq Pasuri, National Party's Tahir Bizenjo and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party's Usman Kakar were among those who attended the Rehbar Committee meeting.

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