ISLAMABAD: Taking on both the government and opposition parties, the mercurial Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said that the incumbent government was incapable of allaying their concerns about the Feb 8 polls, while the PTI appeared confused about the way forward.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of his party’s Majlis-i-Shura, which spanned two days, the JUI-F chief demanded snap elections without the interference of the establishment.

The Maulana said his party had reached the conclusion that the government was incapable of addressing the concerns of the JUI-F and other political parties.

He also alluded to a resolution recently passed by the US House of Repre­sentatives about free and fair polls to support his call for fresh elections.

Opposes ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’; says govt blaming Kabul to cover ‘own failures’

According to the Maulana, the JUI-F was also concerned about the intentions of the PTI and the Sunni Ittehad Council; therefore, it has decided to push for snap elections in the country on its own.

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He, however, said that the doors of dialogue were open for the PTI.

He said the PTI appeared confused about the way forward and had failed to make a decision regarding its campaign for snap polls, adding that the former ruling party did not even form a committee for talks with the JUI-F. Likewise, the SIC head was also not ready to launch a movement alongside the JUI-F and his statements were quite clear, he claimed.

During his media talk, Maulana Fazl also took potshots at the coalition government for allegedly failing on the diplomatic front. The JUI-F leader said the government also failed to gain the confidence of China for investments in Pakistan.

Azm-i-Istehkam

The JUI-F leader also opposed the Azm-i-Isteh­kam action, saying that various institutions were not on the same page regarding the planned campaign, and questioned why there was a significant increase in terrorism after every military operation.

In a comment on a statement by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that hinted at the possibility of cross-border strikes to eliminate militants harboured by Afghanistan, the JUI-F chief said such statements were being given to cover-up the failure of anti-terrorism operations in the country.

In a recent interview, the defence minister had said that under the planned operation, Pakistan could take out militant havens in the neighbouring country — a statement that did not sit well with the JUI-F, the PTI, as well as other political parties. In response, the Afghan Taliban warned of consequences in case of any such attack and said they would not allow anyone to violate their sovereignty.

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Replying to a question, Maulana Fazl alleged that everyone knew that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10pc of the development fund was being given to terrorists.

“Are you helpless in front of terrorists? I have many questions but I don’t want to create problems for the state,” he warned. Replying to another question, he said that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that the opposition was the “ally of terrorists”.

While talking about the armed forces, he said the people of Pakistan cared about the armed forces and advised the army to care about the masses as well. He said that terrorism was increasing in the country and the trust of the masses in the institutions was decreasing. He said that all institutions, including the army, should remain in their domain as interference in politics was a violation of the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2024