When he can’t solve village issues...: How can Imran resolve Iran issue, asks Fazl

KARACHI: Accusing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s federal government of selling out the Kashhmir issue, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday categorically said his party is not withdrawing its decision to lock down the capital to send the ‘selected’ government back home.

On Thursday, Rehman participated in the party’s provincial meeting held at Jamia Anwarul Uloom, a seminary in Korangi, and later, spoke to a press conference. Referring to his upcoming move to lock down Islamabad, Rehman said a sea of people would storm Islamabad from across the country on his call. Rehman said that the country’s two largest opposition parties – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party – have reached a consensus with the JUI-F to send the prime minister and the government home.” He added that when Prime Minister Imran Khan cannot resolve village issues, how can he help resolve the Iran issue? He said the final date of Islamabad lock down will be announced following the PML-N’s central executive meeting while the PPP has also contacted the opposition’s Rahbar Committee. “We are hopeful that a joint consensus for anti-government protest would be made in the upcoming few days,” he said. The JUI-F chief said Prime Minister Imran Khan has become an ‘approver’ against Pakistan in the world. “Khan has been alleging that the Pakistan Army trained al-Qaeda. Such statement shows he is working on a foreign agenda.”

He said the entire nation knows that Kashmir issue has been sold. “It was known that changing the Kashmir’s constitutional status was a part of the Modi government’s electoral manifesto and despite knowing it, the Pakistani government did not work to counter it. In fact, the federal government’s actions helped Modi to win the polls,” he said. The religious party’s chief said the current rulers have discouraged and disappointed the Kashmiris by terming their jihad as enmity with Pakistan and Kashmir. “We have lost Kashmir and now people instead of waving Pakistani flags in Srinagar are talking about saving Muzaffarabad. And it is because of PM Khan’s incompetence.” Rehman said the situation is that instead of talking about self-determination of Kashmiris, the focus is on talks of human rights abuses. He said most of the political parties, including PPP and the PML-N, had rejected the 2018 general polls and termed it a stolen election. “Now we all are demanding to conduct a election.” He said the federal government is victimizing the opposition parties by arresting their leaders. “The government is setting the worst example of lawlessness and political victimization and the prime minister is using the state institutions against his political rivals,” he alleged.

Mentioning the Ghotki incident, Rehman said that his party’s local leadership had played a positive role in maintaining interfaith harmony in the district. “Our party stands against sectarianism and violence on the basis of faith. It will not allow anyone to harm religious minorities,” he said. Replying to a question about the Jamaat-e-Islami’s participation in Islamabad lockdown, Rehman said on a lighter note that Jamaat-e-Islami is only there for praying. Before, the press conference, Rehman participated in the party’s provincial leadership meeting, in which the participants discussed the current political scenario and preparation for the upcoming Islamabad lock down. In the meeting, the party’s central secretary-general and former deputy chairman Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Sindh leaders Allama Rashid Soomro, Maulana Muhammad Saleh, Maulana Abdul Qayyum Halejvi, Aslam Ghori, Qari Muhammad Usman, Sami Swati, Maulana M Ghayyas and other leaders participated. The districts' leaders also attended the meeting and presented their reports to the leadership.