JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman. – File Photo

PESHAWAR, Sept 9: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has rejected talks between Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz over next caretaker setup in the country, saying that fate of the consultation process would not be different from the Local Government Ordinance in Sindh.

“Other parties have not been taken into confidence before starting the consultation, therefore the JUI rejects it,” he said while talking to journalists after attending tribal jirga at the party’s provincial headquarters here on Sunday. He warned that delay in general elections could plunge the country into crisis.

Mr Rehman ruled out JUI-F’s electoral alliance with Awami National Party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and claimed that the ruling ANP’s performance during last four years was pathetic.

“We will not eulogise the ANP in public meetings,” he said and added that the ANP had virtually imposed martial law in the province and army was making decisions.

Mr Rehman said that his party would send a delegation to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to seek opinion of tribal people about their future. The delegation, he said, would hold meetings with Maliks and other segments of the society and then the party would announce its policy about future of Fata.

He said that the jirga had suggested seeking opinion of constitutional experts before announcing any decision. Restoration of peace in Fata should be the first priority and the JUI-F would not support direct intervention of Islamabad and Peshawar, he said.

The JUI-F chief said that his party would seek support of other political parties and would invite them to attend the next jirga.

He said that the whole Fata was burning and innocent people were being killed in military operations and drone strikes. He claimed that 90 per cent population had left Fata because of lawlessness and conflict.

He asked the government to get the drone attacks in Waziristan stopped. He added that America would not stop drone strikes just because of summoning of its ambassador to the foreign office.

About the expected visit of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan to Waziristan next month, he alleged that the PTI chief’s brother-in-law was arranging his trip to distribute its videos in other countries. He remarked that if workers of a political party were visiting Waziristan in a military convoy then people could understand its meaning.

Asked about the US government’s decision to declare Haqqani network as a terrorist outfit, Mr Rehman said that the government and military leadership of Pakistan should make decision about status of the group.