Delay of a few days in elections not a big problem: Fazl

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that if a delay of few days could lead to a fair election there was no big problem.

He was responding to a question during an interview with a private media outlet on Tuesday regarding Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari claim that the names of Afghan nationals were on the voter rolls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He demanded probe into the issue. He added that he was not asking for a delay in election based on any political need but only to ensure fair elections.

The JUIF chief also mentioned that elections had been delayed at the time of Benazir Bhutto’s death and said that people would understand that there was good reason behind delay in elections.

He said that all reservations including weather concerns in high-altitude areas should be seriously seen by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Asked if a delay could lead to an indefinite period in elections, he said people would protest in such a case.

In a sarcastic tone, he said that it seemed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not have any threats against them but everyone else was being considered a target.

Fazal said that there was no question that state institutions were aware of what was the situation of law and order in KP.

He added that security forces had been confronting terrorists for a long time in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Waziristan and people are getting martyred daily.

Fazal added that terrorism had never ceased in the province at all.He said that while the JUIF wanted elections and had even taken to the streets against the PTI government to protest the 2018 elections. However, elections should be fair and an atmosphere should be created accordingly, he added.

He said that the PDM government had been unable to do more than just keeping Pakistan afloat as the country faced default due to the PTI government’s policies.

Fazl said that a military operation had been conducted in his own village recently and firing had continued the entire night. He said that even moving inside the village freely was not possible anymore.

When asked about the failure of the PDM government’s failure to deliver, Fazal said that the government had achieved two things: preventing disintegration and default that was facing the country.

Asked if he had reached an understanding with Nawaz and Zardari, Fazal said that there were instances where he had gone along with the larger parties in the PDM despite reservations otherwise the alliance would have been broken.

The JUIF chief said that nothing unconstitutional would happen in the country. He said that the only solution was a fair election that led to a long-term government which had the public’s support. He had that ‘short-term’ solutions were no longer the answer to the country’s problems.