Fazl signals JUI-F, PML-N alliance before and after elections

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) supremo Maulana Fazlur Rehman Tuesday signalled to form an alliance with Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) before and after general elections — scheduled for February 8.

Political parties are in full gear to win the trust of each other ahead of the February 8 general polls.

The cleric, who was also head of the multi-party alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), told reporters that the JUI-F and the PML-N’s alliance would not be an unprecedented development as both political parties had a history of jointly contesting polls.

He was of the view that the country saw development during the Nawaz-led government, therefore, his religio-political party would choose to stand beside PML-N.

Casting doubts over general elections, the cleric claimed that rigging doors would be opened if the election commission failed to establish polling stations in areas that are difficult to reach.

He added that the low turnout of voters will also reduce the effective impact of the upcoming nationwide polls.

He also slammed PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, whose government was removed via a no-confidence motion in April 2022, for shaking the economic, political, and diplomatic foundations of the country. 

All political parties, he said, had always respected each other’s mandate except for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf whose mandate was rejected by the entire nation.

Fazl further said that Pakistan had even lost confidence in its global allies during the PTI government, whereas, the country’s GDP turned negative.

He also blamed the previous government for giving control of the country’s major financial institutions including the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — the Washinton-based lender.

The JUI-F chief went on to say he would not back to fighting against the state institutions, adding that strained ties between institutions would lead the country to more crises instead of putting it on a development path.