Pak oppn to launch poll boycott campaign

Islamabad, Dec 18: Pakistan's opposition alliance, All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) will launch a countrywide mass contact campaign from December 24 to convince people to boycott January 8 polls.

The alliance took the decision to launch the pro-boycott drive at a meeting in Islamabad last evening, days after it removed former premier Nawaz Sharif from the post of convener for his party's decision to participate in polls. ''Twenty one political parties of APDM are going to launch anti-vote movement across the country in which lawyers and civil society representatives will stand shoulder to shoulder with us,'' Hamid Khan, Vice President of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, which is a component of the alliance said.

''A national APDM convention is being organised in Islamabad with slogan, 'No election without reinstatement of judges'. A large number of lawyers, students and human rights activists will participate,'' he added.

He said the APDM had also constituted provincial committees, which will organise processions to persuade people to boycott elections at provincial level.

An extra APDM meeting has been called on January 6 in Lahore and heads of 21 parties will participate to devise the future strategy, he added.

He also released the schedule of pro-boycott processions that would be organised throughout the country.

According to the schedule, processions will be organised from December 24 to January 5 in various cities of the country.

UNI