Talks between govt, JUI-F cancelled

ISLAMABAD: A meeting that was scheduled to take place between Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and the leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has been cancelled, Geo News reported on Sunday.

The meeting was part of government’s efforts to persuade the JUI-F to cancel its plan to hold Azadi March in Islamabad later this month.

JUI-F leader Ghafoor Haidri told Geo News that he has informed the Senate chairman about the cancellation of the meeting and also told him to first contact with Rahbar Committee, referring to a panel comprising members of PPP, PML-N and other opposition parties.

Sources said the decision to hold talks with the government would be taken by the Rahbar Committee.

The sources said Maulana Fazlur Rehman has contacted leaders of the opposition parties to take them into confidence and told them that any decision to hold talks rests with the Rahbar Committee.

The sources said that the reports of talks were creating the impression as if the JUI-F was directly negotiating with the government.

They said that the JUI-F has convened a meeting of the Rahbar Committee on October 22 at the residence of Akram Durrani where the final decision would be made.

The government has formed a seven-member committee under Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak to hold talks with the government.