The elections held on the basis of the current list would not be fair: Maulana Fazlur Rehman. — Photo by AFP

KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has urged opposition parties to sit together and evolve a consensus on three important issues for holding free, fair and transparent elections.

These include formation of an independent and powerful Election Commission, a caretaker set-up for holding the elections and the formulation of updated electoral rolls after deleting 35 million bogus names.

Talking to reporters here on Saturday, the JUI-F chief said the elections held on the basis of the current list would not be fair because vested interests could use bogus votes to manipulate election results.

He said he had already sent a message to Nawaz Sharif for holding a meeting of opposition parties to chalk out future course of action, adding that he was waiting for a response from the PML-N chief.

When asked if he saw any role of former president Pervez Musharraf in coming days, Maulana Fazl said there was no future of the former army chief in politics, adding that a number of retired generals had in the past failed in their attempts to form political parties or carve out positions for themselves in the political field.

In reply to a question, he said the country was facing external and internal problems and could not afford clashes between institutions.

The maulana expressed optimism about the possibility of revival of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, an alliance of religio-political parties.

The JUI-F chief said that when the Soviet Union had been defeated in Afghanistan the world witnessed protests against communism and today when the United States and its allies were facing defeat in that country people in Europe and America were agitating against capitalism.

“This is a clear sign that only an Islamic economic system can deliver and this fact is being conceded by those who are protesting on the Wall Street.”

Maulana Fazl said his party had decided to hold an ‘Islam Zindabad’ conference on Sharea Quaideen on Jan 27.