Fazl’s politics is a thing of past: Imran

JUI-F chief says he doesn’t waste time in talking about PTI head

BANNU/LAKKI MARWAT: Rejecting the opposition of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) to Fata’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that the politics of Maulana Fazlur Rahman is a thing of the past and their hue and cry doesn't matter and it is of no use.

He said that only the JUI-F was against the merger and was raising hue and cry for holding a referendum over the issue. The PTI chief rejected the idea of holding a referendum on the issue, saying it was not feasible.

Disagreeing with the five-year merger plan for Fata, Imran Khan challenged the logic behind the decision and termed it a big mistake. "The government should have consulted the tribal people over this single point, but it did not even consult the KP government, let alone the Fata people," he complained.

He said that some people had reservations over the merger because they thought that Fata would be sidelined like Swat and Dir districts. He added that Fata would be given due importance to allay these apprehensions of the tribesmen.

Accusing the federal government of deliberately delaying the release of funds for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said on Wednesday that delay in releasing the funds was affecting the flow of development work in the province.

He was talking to reporters after inaugurating the "Billion Tree Tsunami" campaign in Ghoriwala in Bannu district and Tortala in Lakki Marwat. Imran Khan launched the drive by planting saplings at various places.

On the occasion, he said that the "Billion Tree Tsunami" scheme was vital for future generations. He said the target of planting a billion trees would be achieved by the end of the current year, adding that 800 million saplings had already been planted under the scheme.

Imran Khan pointed out that Pakistan ranked seventh among the countries most vulnerable to climate change around the globe. "The glaciers are melting at an alarming pace due to global warming. Increase in forest cover can reduce the negative effects of climate change," he argued.

He said that the provincial government diverted funds from other projects for the "Billion Tree Tsunami" project to secure a better future for the coming generations. The PTI chief said that merger of the tribal areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the only way to mainstream Fata.

Among others, Adviser to Chief Minister Ishtiaq Urmar, provincial Environment Secretary Syed Nazar Hussain, Bannu Commissioner Kamran Zeb, and other officials were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday said that he did not waste time in talking about Imran Khan. Speaking at the Ulema Convention here, he urged leaders of all schools of thought to forge unity to foil the conspiracies of the enemies of Islam.

He said it was high time to set aside the sectarian differences and promote the true image of Islam. He stressed the need for unity among the Muslims, adding that madaris and masajid were units of Islamic civilisation. He asked the masses to elect religious persons to parliament who could work for the implementation of Islamic laws in the country.

Maulana Fazl enumerated the achievements of his party leaders in declaring Ahmadis as non-Muslims. "It was because of the efforts of JUI-F and late Mufti Mehmood that Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims," he recalled. He claimed that non-Islamic laws would have been passed by parliament had the religious scholars not been elected to the National Assembly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The JUI-F chief claimed seminaries were the true custodians of Pakistan and Islam. "The United States, Israel and India are hatching conspiracies against Islam and Muslim world. They are behind the conspiracies against seminaries," he claimed.

He asked the masses to respect religious scholars and work for promoting the culture of tolerance. Provincial chief of JUI-F Maulana Gul Naseeb, secretary information Abdul Jalil and others also spoke on the occasion.