Fazl rejects dialogue with govt, demands fresh election

Published October 30, 2020
Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. — DawnNewsTV/File
Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. — DawnNewsTV/File

MULTAN: The Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has demanded the Pakistan Election Commission should hold fresh elections as the Pakistan Democratic Movement wanted no dialogue with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government.

“Neither we are ready to hold any negotiations [with the government], nor we are in its favour,” he told the media at a presser here on Thursday.

Scotching rumours of any rift in the 11-party opposition alliance he heads, the Maulana said:”All the [component] parties of the PDM are in contact [with each other], and the masses have expressed their bitterness towards the rulers”.

Again targeting the Imran Khan government, he said it had touched the bottom, not only in terms of its performance, but also with regard to ethics, referring to PML-N leader Capt retired Safdar’s arrest in Karachi, which he called a conspiracy to divide the opposition.

He endorsed the Karachi police’s reaction over Capt Safdar’s arrest, saying it was “effective”.

Announcing a “huge” PDM rally in Multan on Nov 30, he said: “We will continue holding public gatherings despite the threat of bomb blasts. We have to take careful decision regarding Gilgit Baltistan,”

He alleged that a “legal way” was being paved to “commit corruption” by giving amnesty to the chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.

China’s trust had been damaged with regard to handling of the CPEC affairs by the government, he added.

The PDM head said that putting restrictions on the media and pressurising other institutions was a “dictatorial act”.

The Maulana said the opposition did not want Pakistan to have a sour relationship with America, “but we also want that these ties should be on equal grounds”.

Pointing out that Prime Minister Irman Khan used to criticise the army in the past, he said, “Is there any justification of his [Imran’s] previous stance,while our point of view [on the issue] is clear”.

He regretted that so far the government had failed to give any concrete response to the recent blast in a Peshawar madressah in which innocent children were killed.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan outreach
11 Jan, 2025

Afghan outreach

AS much mistrust marks Pakistan’s relations with the Afghan Taliban, Kabul’s rulers are reaching out to regional...
Fragile recovery
11 Jan, 2025

Fragile recovery

STATE Bank Governor Jameel Ahmed appears to be quite optimistic over recent economic gains. That is not unusual;...
Destination Europe
11 Jan, 2025

Destination Europe

THE country’s aviation authorities can rest a little easy. After a four-year banishment from European skies,...
E-governance
Updated 10 Jan, 2025

E-governance

Wishing for a viable e-governance system seems like a pipe dream when stable internet connectivity is not guaranteed.
Khuzdar rampage
Updated 10 Jan, 2025

Khuzdar rampage

Authorities must explain how terrorists were able to commandeer the area for eight hours.
Beyond wheelchairs
10 Jan, 2025

Beyond wheelchairs

THE KP government’s Rs370m assistance programme for persons with disabilities is a positive step, not only in ...