PESHAWAR, Feb 20: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that the elements involved in lawlessness in Karachi and Quetta are trying to create hurdles in the way of holding elections and sabotage the democratic process in the country.

Talking to journalists after attending a ceremony at JUI central secretariat here on Wednesday, he condemned killing of 85 people in Quetta blast and said that he had directed his party leadership in Balochistan to contact representatives of Hazara tribe and express solidarity with the affected families.

Mr Rehman said that his party would play its role to defuse sectarian tension in Balochistan and other parts of the country. He said that they would cooperate with the Hazara tribe to expose those forces, who were shedding blood of innocent people.

“I don’t malign any personality or group. But the elements involved in violence in Karachi and Quetta and those organising sit-in protest in Islamabad have common agenda to postpone the next general elections,” the JUI-F chief said. However, he was optimistic that democratic forces would foil those conspiracies.

On the occasion, MNA Munir Orakzai from Kurram Agency along with his supporters announced joining JUI-F. The party has focused on Fata after extension of Political Parties Order, 2002 to the region in 2011.

After extension of the order, next elections would be held on party basis in seven agencies and six frontier regions of Fata. Like JUI-F, Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf have also geared up activities in Fata to enhance their vote banks in the tribal areas.

Mr Rehman denied media reports about his talks with Afghan Taliban in Doha, Qatar where their liaison office had been opened. “Reports about my talks with Taliban in Doha are baseless,” he said when asked about his recent visit to Qatar. He insisted that he had no connection with Taliban movement.

He, however, appreciated the talk offer of outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and termed it a positive development. He said that JUI-F had already formed a tribal jirga to hold talks with all stakeholders to restore peace in Fata.

The JUI-F chief said that the jirga would hold talks with the leaders of major political parties and other stakeholders. “I expect positive outcome of these contacts in future,” he maintained.

Earlier, addressing the ceremony, he said that his party would give priority to health, education and provision of jobs if it was given opportunity to form next government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mr Rehman said that Pakistan’s geo-strategic position was important in the region and it should develop cordial relations with its neighbours. He said that a country could not survive in isolation and had to maintain friendly relations with big powers but it should not be at the cost of compromising on national sovereignty.

Speaking on the occasion, Munir Orakzai said that JUI-F always struggled for Islamisation in the country and supported fundamental rights of tribal people in and outside the parliament.

He said that he joined JUI-F because of the bold and candid policies of Maulana Fazlur Rehman.