JUIF dares Gandapur to resign, contest polls sans ‘invisible forces’

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Maulana Attaur Rahman on Sunday challenged Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to resign from the government and face any ordinary worker of the party in a constituency of his choice in the province without the backing of "invisible forces", saying he would suffer a humiliating defeat.

Speaking at a press conference after the provincial shura meeting of the party, the JUIF leader criticized the provincial government, accusing it of complete failure on all fronts, particularly in handling recent natural calamities and terrorist incidents in the province.

He alleged that the chief minister recently made indecent remarks about the JUIF leadership. "Let me tell him that had they (the PTI) not been supported by powerful circles, they would never have been able to form a government anywhere in the country. It is only due to this support that they have been imposed on the people of the province for the last 13 years," he claimed.

The Maulana alleged that the incumbent KP government had "broken all records of corruption," and that stories of corrupt practices by its leaders were a common subject of public discussion. "After such massive corruption, if the chief minister thinks conditions still favour him, it is his misperception," he remarked. He recalled that the JUIF had inflicted a humiliating defeat on them in local government elections despite their provincial rule.

The JUIF leader warned that the people were disappointed with the provincial government.

Criticizing the government's performance on security, he said the law and order in the province had deteriorated particularly in the southern districts. "There is no writ of the government anywhere in the province," he asserted. Referring to the chief minister, he said: "I challenge the son of Major Amin to visit his native village. He has no time for the people, nor does he have the courage to face them."

He also questioned the role of institutions, asking why such rulers had been "imposed" on the province for 13 years. "PTI leaders and workers know nothing except abusing their political opponents. They have no vision and cannot point to even a single project for the welfare of the people during their 13-year rule. Instead, they shamelessly take credit for projects launched by the MMA government," he alleged.

Maulana Attaur Rahman also shared details of the party's shura meeting, saying it reviewed the devastation caused by recent floods.