PESHAWAR: Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman said on Saturday that his party will launch a long march and not a ‘dharna’ on October 27.
Fazl said that JUI-F’s Azadi March would only end with the resignation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, while adding that he had no further agenda beyond this demand.
While addressing media persons and JUI-F leaders at the party’s secretariat in the provincial capital, Fazl said, “Our political allies wanted us to delay Azadi March till March 2020. But it's not possible because right now the situation of the country is headed towards disaster.”
Speaking in connection to the master plan for the march, Fazl said that JUI-F would go to any extent if they were prevented from reaching Islamabad. “It would cause a confrontation between JUI-F supporters and government servants,” he threatened.
He further said that former president Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged full support for the Azadi March.
He also said that with the support of millions of people from across the country, the JUI-F supporters were ready to send the incumbent government home by holding a massive demonstration in the federal capital.
Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief said that groups of people from every district would be led by appointed leaders from the party and they would be responsible for catering to needs of the protestors. He alleged that the ‘ceremonial’ PTI government has failed badly as it did not know how to govern the country.
He also said that the incumbent government wanted to attract the attention of the international community by arranging prize distribution ceremonies for students of religious seminaries.
While answering a query, Fazl said that he would certainly meet Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Qamar Bajwa if invited for negotiations.
Moreover, he said that the economic crisis would lead to further unrest in the country, while adding that the PTI government had already destroyed the lives of people through high inflation and widespread unemployment.
He further said, “Our first plan is to reach Islamabad, after which plan B and C would be executed.” He said that arrests of JUI-F leaders and supporters would worsen the situation, while adding that the government should show a big heart.
He suggested that an interim government should be formed in the country in order to stop millions of people from marching towards the federal capital while demanding the resignation of the incumbent government. He assured the gathering that ‘change’ would come after October 27.
On the other hand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mehmood Khan said that PTI supporters must not allow JUI-F supporters to pass through the province.
He criticised Fazl for failing to get the peoples’ support in last year’s elections, despite being in the government for more than a decade.
The KP CM said that the JUI-F chief would never be able to win a National Assembly (NA) seat again, which has frustrated him. He said that as chairman of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, Fazl had shown zero progress in highlighting Indian aggression against Kashmiris.
Meanwhile, senior provincial minister Atif Khan also responded to Fazl’s speech and said that it is the right of JUI-F to hold a protest, but the government would not tolerate any aggression against the general public and government servants.
The minister bashed the JUI-F and said that at a time when Prime Minister Imran Khan has been recognised as the best prime minister for Pakistan by the international community, Fazl wanted to malign the image of the country through his actions.
Fazl said that JUI-F’s Azadi March would only end with the resignation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, while adding that he had no further agenda beyond this demand.
While addressing media persons and JUI-F leaders at the party’s secretariat in the provincial capital, Fazl said, “Our political allies wanted us to delay Azadi March till March 2020. But it's not possible because right now the situation of the country is headed towards disaster.”
Speaking in connection to the master plan for the march, Fazl said that JUI-F would go to any extent if they were prevented from reaching Islamabad. “It would cause a confrontation between JUI-F supporters and government servants,” he threatened.
He further said that former president Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged full support for the Azadi March.
He also said that with the support of millions of people from across the country, the JUI-F supporters were ready to send the incumbent government home by holding a massive demonstration in the federal capital.
Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief said that groups of people from every district would be led by appointed leaders from the party and they would be responsible for catering to needs of the protestors. He alleged that the ‘ceremonial’ PTI government has failed badly as it did not know how to govern the country.
He also said that the incumbent government wanted to attract the attention of the international community by arranging prize distribution ceremonies for students of religious seminaries.
While answering a query, Fazl said that he would certainly meet Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Qamar Bajwa if invited for negotiations.
Moreover, he said that the economic crisis would lead to further unrest in the country, while adding that the PTI government had already destroyed the lives of people through high inflation and widespread unemployment.
He further said, “Our first plan is to reach Islamabad, after which plan B and C would be executed.” He said that arrests of JUI-F leaders and supporters would worsen the situation, while adding that the government should show a big heart.
He suggested that an interim government should be formed in the country in order to stop millions of people from marching towards the federal capital while demanding the resignation of the incumbent government. He assured the gathering that ‘change’ would come after October 27.
On the other hand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mehmood Khan said that PTI supporters must not allow JUI-F supporters to pass through the province.
He criticised Fazl for failing to get the peoples’ support in last year’s elections, despite being in the government for more than a decade.
The KP CM said that the JUI-F chief would never be able to win a National Assembly (NA) seat again, which has frustrated him. He said that as chairman of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, Fazl had shown zero progress in highlighting Indian aggression against Kashmiris.
Meanwhile, senior provincial minister Atif Khan also responded to Fazl’s speech and said that it is the right of JUI-F to hold a protest, but the government would not tolerate any aggression against the general public and government servants.
The minister bashed the JUI-F and said that at a time when Prime Minister Imran Khan has been recognised as the best prime minister for Pakistan by the international community, Fazl wanted to malign the image of the country through his actions.