QUETTA: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said the victory of a large number of his party’s candidates in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local bodies’ elections has proved that the PTI government is fake and it has been imposed on the masses by ‘selectors’.

Talking to journalists after meeting former Balochistan chief minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani at his residence on Monday, Maulana Fazl, who is also president of the Pakis­tan Democratic Movement (PDM), said that despite interference and casting of fake votes, PTI candidates suffered massive defeat in the local bodies’ elections in KP and people had given mandate to the JUI-F candidates.

Maulana Fazl went to Sarawan House along with JUI-F secretary general Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidari, provincial chief MNA Maulana Abdul Wasey, MNA Maulana Salah Uddin Ayubi and other party leaders to invite Nawab Raisani to join his party.

Mr Raisani was elected member of the Balochistan Assembly in the 2018 general election as an independent candidate. He was in the PPP and led the party’s coalition government in 2008 as the chief minister.

Invites Aslam Raisani to join his party

In reply to a question about the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Maulana Fazl said he and his party had supported the Taliban and had relations with them.

“The United States and Europe have reconciled with the Taliban despite declaring them terrorists,” he said, adding that the United States held talks with the Taliban and now there was a Taliban government in Afghanistan and they had come to Pakistan representing one country.

In reply to a question about the PDM’s long march, he said the parties in the opposition alliance were in contact with each other reg­arding the march towards Islamabad.

“Our preparations for the long march are continuing and the march will be organised according to the programme,” he added.

He said PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif was in touch with the leaders of other parties in Punjab and Balochistan in connection with preparations for the march and the PDM still had two months till March 2022.

The JUI-F chief said he had asked Nawab Raisani to join his party and the former chief minister had sought one month’s time for consultations with his people, tribesmen and colleagues on the matter.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2021