Fazl says govt not capable of dealing with enormous challenges it faces

Casting doubts on the new setup's performance, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has claimed that the Shehbaz Sharif-led government encountered enormous challenges that it would not be able to meet.

Talking during Geo News programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath' on Wednesday, Fazl said that the government would fail to deliver and would eventually collapse if people started a protest movement against it.

The JUI-F chief said, "The parliament will likely be a rubber stamp amid too many challenges. Ultimately, the politicians will take the responsibility for all the failures."

He said it was strange that the "crime is committed by someone else and the politicians take its responsibility". His party was going to protest against those institutions that had made the election a "game", he added.

Earlier, Fazl announced to boycott the by-elections on the vacant National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. He also announced to launch a protest movement from Balochistan after Ramadan on April 25 against the alleged election rigging.

"Our stance is clear-cut that the 2024 general elections are rigged. And our target would be the force which altered the results. This government came into being based on results that we do not accept," he said.

The JUI-F chief said they had objections regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) concerning the election results of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"[Earlier] The issues with the PTI were ideological and not election-related," he maintained.

He said that for the time being the party had not decided to join hands with the PTI. However, he admitted, that there was a change in the attitude of the Imran Khan-led party which was a good thing. It was a positive attitude and there was no issue if the two parties moved together, he said.

Fazl also shared that in his meeting with ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, he told him that he considered him as a new blue-eyed boy.