Fazl moves to help Nawaz, Zardari meet

ISLAMABAD: A smart move by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to engage one of the key political lieutenants of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for conveying ‘message’ of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to former president Asif Ali Zardari has played a vital role in breaking the ice between two political giants who are both in London for medical reasons, the sources told The News here on Sunday.

“When the prime minister assigned the task of removing misunderstandings between him and Asif Ali Zardari to JUI-I chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he contacted a former NA deputy speaker who not only belongs to his hometown Dera Ismail Khan but is also a confidant of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,” the sources said.

The sources said former NA deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi took PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari into confidence over his contact with Maulana Fazlur Rehman after which he left for London where he held an important meeting with Asif Ali Zardari a couple of days back.

“The former NA deputy speaker talked to Maulana Fazlur Rehman after his meeting with Asif Ali Zardari who later informed the prime minister about it. Then it was decided that the prime minister would go to London for a 4-day visit,” the sources said.

The sources said “Now the prime minister, former president Asif Ali Zardari and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman are in London. But no one has so far confirmed whether Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari will have a meeting in London in next few days.”

 They said the prime minister held a detailed meeting with Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif before his departure from Lahore in which it was decided to make public the names of all those people who got waived off their bank loans worth Rs 50 million and above from 1985 to 2015.  Responding to the questions sent by this correspondent, former Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi confirmed his meeting with former President Asif Ali Zardari. He did not respond to questions about the contents of his meeting saying he was on a return journey. When contacted, spokesman of former president Asif Ali Zardari told The News “Ok, I send a query to get to know the official word from former president Asif Ali Zardari about rumors of his upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in London. So you may contact me after some hours in this respect.”

When this correspondent again contacted then Farhatullah Babar said, “I sent a query but after passage of five hours I have received no reply from Asif Ali Zardari. So simply I cannot offer any comments on it.” Despite repeated attempts by this correspondent JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was not available for comments.