Gohar rejects Fazl claim PTI ready to quit assemblies

ISLAMABAD: After forming a committee to hold dialogue with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday claimed that the embattled party had agreed to step down from the assemblies and dissolve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) legislature to force the government into elections.

Maulana Fazl, while addressing a press conference here on Saturday, said that the former ruling party assured him of stepping down from the assemblies and dissolving the KP Assembly. “The JUIF committee will finalise the future strategy after holding consultations with PTI.”

However, speaking to Geo News, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan rejected the JUIF supremo’s claims that his party had agreed to resign from assemblies. “We have neither held any consultations with Maulana Fazl on resignations or dissolution of assemblies nor taken any decision in this regard,” the PTI chief added.

In Saturday’s interaction, Maulana Fazl also admitted that his party had difference of opinion with political parties and had “bitterness” with the PTI with relations now being normalised.

The JUIF supremo opposed the cases against incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan and other politicians. He also put forward a demand to hold parliamentary and local government (LG) elections together besides ending the concept of caretaker set-up.

At the same time, the JUIF chief also termed the mandate of PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province “fake”. Saying the country could not afford any misadventure, the JUIF chief maintained that neither any martial law nor emergency would work anymore in the country. “Nobody should even think of any misadventure in the country,” he warned.

He also slammed “powerless” ruling parties in the Centre — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — and said that both the parties did not deserve to be in power. “JUIF desires peace and a stable economy in the country,” said Fazl and announced forthcoming public events of his party in KP. He announced that a Kisan convention would be organised in Mardan district on August 10, a traders convention in Peshawar on August 11 and an Aman (peace) jirga in Lakki Marwat on August 18.

He expressed his views that all politicians should be provided a level-playing field to continue political activities in the country. Fazl added that transparent election was the only way to establish peace and stabilise the country’s economy.

When approached by The News for comments on Maulana’s statement, a senior PTI leader, who wished not be identified, said: “We have done so already and though Constitution is clear, general elections were not held. Therefore, we are not inclined to repeat it and face the same result again.”

He made it clear that his party was all for the conduct of fresh elections and wanted to launch a movement also but not at the cost of leaving assemblies. JUIF, he contended, might be interested but the PTI was not ready to dissolve an assembly and resign from other legislatures

“There may be not much for Maulana but for us, a lot will be at stake and our hands will be tied if we come out of the legislature now,” he maintained.