ISLAMABAD: Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman has expressed the hope that the opposition parties will soon come up with a “joint strategy” and during the proposed multi-party conference (MPC) they will decide about the “starting point” for the anti-government movement.

Speaking at a news conference here on Thursday, the JUI-F chief evaded a number of questions from reporters about the possibility of launching street agitation or any step towards an in-house change through a no-confidence motion, by simply saying that “so far all these points are under their consideration in the form of proposals”.

Take a look: ‘Democratic forces’ need to devise joint strategy: Zardari

The Maulana said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari during a meeting with him had assured that his party was ready to completely support the opposition parties. He claimed that they had already completed 75 per cent of their “homework” and the remaining job would be completed when they sat together.

Says multi-party conference will decide on ‘starting point’ for anti-government movement

He said the people of Pakistan had no need to have any expectations from the present government and now they would only benefit through an organised opposition.

Criticising the prime minister’s address to the nation on Wednesday night, the Maulana said that Mr Khan was making speech as a “conqueror” as if he had “conquered” a nation. He also criticised Mr Khan for presenting Pakistan as a “corrupt and bankrupt” country before 4,000 delegates at the investment conference in Saudi Arabia, wondering who would take the risk of making investments in Pakistan in these circumstances.

He also mocked Mr Khan’s claim that Pakistan would play the role of a mediator in the Yemen conflict and said “those incapable of running a country cannot play any role in international politics”.

He lashed out at the government’s economic policies, saying that the government in just two months’ time had made the life of the poor miserable. He said that nearly 14,000 employees of the Utility Stores Corporation had been protesting in Islamabad whereas the people from other segments of society were also ready to take to the streets due to the recent price hike in the country.

“Under these circumstances, the talk about provision of 10 million jobs seems to be a joke,” he said.

The JUI-F chief said the nation had been witnessing accountability of the politicians for the last three decades with no result.

“Accountability is in fact the name of politics by the establishment which uses it only to drag its opponents to courts. They will do their politics and we will continue to play our role as politicians,” he added.

The Maulana said a person who had acquired power through a “fake mandate” had no right to threaten the opposition. He said on one hand, the prime minister talked about accountability and on the other, he had gathered all “corrupt people” from other parties in the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the name of “electables”. He said that Mr Khan only had the desire to become the prime minister, which had now been fulfilled and beyond it, “there is complete darkness”.

The JUI-F chief ridiculed the offer to provide container to the opposition parties by PM Khan and some ministers, saying they were not “fools” to do politics of sit-in like the PTI did in 2014.

“We are not your followers. When did we say that we will do the politics of containers?” he questioned, saying that it seemed that Mr Khan was still standing on a container and did not believe that he had become prime minister.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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