Members of the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan conducted its Islamabad conference on Thursday despite facing difficulties in continuing the event at a hotel in the federal capital.

The hotel administration canceled the booking for the second day of the conference for ‘Upholding Constitution’. Despite this, leaders, including Awaam Pakistan leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, arrived at the hotel and began the conference in the lobby while security personnel were deployed outside the hotel.

This came after the hotel manager provided a statement to the police regarding the situation surrounding the conference.

In the statement, the hotel manager said that the “administration had not granted permission for the conference to the opposition parties, who forcibly entered the hotel to hold the event.” According to the manager, all individuals entered the hotel premises without authorisation, and the political leaders took over the lobby.

Joint declaration

The declaration from the conference held on February 27 has been released, featuring participation from various political parties, lawyers, and journalists who proposed solutions to the crises facing the country.

The declaration emphasised that “without a functioning judicial system,” the country cannot progress, asserting that the resolution to all issues lies in upholding the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law.

It labelled the elections scheduled for February 8, 2024, as “rigged and identified them as a fundamental cause of the current crises.”

Furthermore, the declaration stated that Pakistan’s Constitution does not permit the “unjust harassment or imprisonment of any citizen.” Participants called for the immediate repeal of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act law.

The declaration also stressed the “urgent need” to address the issues in Sindh and Balochistan, advocating for a unified strategy to tackle the deteriorating situation in the country.

Participants expressed their commitment to continue this struggle “until Pakistan is freed from its crises.”

JUI-F refuses to sign joint declaration

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) declined to sign the joint declaration at the conference organised. JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza stated that the declaration would be of the opposition and that the JUI-F participated “merely as a delegate.”

Wednesday’s development

On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Umar Ayub mentioned that the hotel administration indicated they were “under pressure,” advising attendees to understand the situation. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Asad Qaiser stated that if the “law of the jungle is to prevail, then the Constitution should be disregarded.” He asserted that they would confront such actions.

After the cancellation of the hotel booking on the second day of the national conference, the opposition held an emergency press conference. In the press briefing with opposition leaders, Abbasi stated that the conference addressed the country’s problems, the rule of law, and the Constitution.

They expressed “strong criticism” of the government, stating: “It fears the Constitution and even a simple conference.” They emphasised that the conference was held in a “closed room, not in a public space with thousands of attendees, but rather with just a few hundred people in an auditorium.”

They claimed that the government could not tolerate even such a gathering. After the first day of the conference, the hotel administration informed them that “intelligence or administrative personnel had threatened the hotel, warning that hosting the conference could lead to heavy fines and potential closure.”

Abbasi stated that they informed the hotel administration about their two-day booking for the national conference, emphasising that there was nothing provocative about the event, as it concerned the nation and the Constitution. He urged the hotel management to provide a “written explanation” if they were pressured not to hold the conference, specifying the reasons for such a decision.

Abbasi, who co-hosted the conference with Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party head Mahmood Khan Achakzai, expressed “disappointment” at the hotel’s apparent reluctance. He declared that the conference would proceed the following day, asserting that it was their constitutional right to discuss constitutional matters.

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He further criticised the government, stating that “its fear of the Constitution and such conferences is a clear indication of its weakness and failure.” The former PM pointed out the “irony that a government spending billions on advertisements is intimidated by a single conference.”

Opposition Leader Omar Ayub addressed the media, stating that the hotel where they planned to hold a press conference was the same venue used by Abbasi and Achakzai for their conference, which focused “on the integrity of Pakistan and the preservation of the Constitution for the country’s future.”

Ayub claimed that the hotel administration expressed their constraints due to “external pressure,” which he vehemently rejected. He stated that they would not be deterred by the “so-called installed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif or Mohsin Naqvi,” affirming their determination to proceed with their plans.

As the opposition leader, he pledged to approach the Chief Justice of Pakistan directly, emphasising that they had previously conveyed the message in a meeting that “neither the Constitution nor the law is being upheld in Pakistan at present.”