Govt fires back after Maulana Fazlur Rehman's fiery speech

ISLAMABAD: Federal ministers Murad Saeed and Noor-ul-Haq Qadri fired back at JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday after his fiery criticism of Prime Minister Imran. 

Holding a press conference, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri defended Prime Minister Imran by saying that people should join him in building the 'Riyasat-e-Medina'. 

"The love for Medina is in the heart of the prime minister," he said. 

Qadri said that it was based on the directions of the prime minister that schoolchildren were made to read and understand the teachings of the Holy Quran. 

Firdous express disappointment at personal attacks against PM

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said that she was disappointed that Fazl had issued personal statements against the prime minister. 

"What we have been seeing since this entire week in Islamabad is a theatre," said Awan. 

Awan said that she was glad that the JUI-F chief had  not done anything after his ultimatum had expired. 

Azadi March background

Thousands of protesters have converged on the federal capital under the banner of the Azadi March, seeking to send packing Prime Minister Imran Khan packing.

The ‘Azadi’ March caravan, which set off from Sindh, left Punjab’s city Lahore on Wednesday and culminated its journey Thursday night in Islamabad.

Opposition leaders delivered fiery speeches against the PTI government on Friday, giving the prime minister a 48-hour ultimatum to resign.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman gave Prime Minister Imran two days to step down, failing which the protesters may march on to the PM House, 'force' the prime minister to step down, and 'arrest' him.

The government announced on Saturday that they would approach the courts over Fazlur Rehman's statements, accusing him of "instigating the people" and rallying them for 'mutiny'.