LAHORE/PESHAWAR: The government on Saturday warned JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman that he was between the devil and deep blue sleep and that his words would only serve to lead him nowhere.
Addressing a press conference at the Railways Headquarters, Lahore, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said Fazl was between the devil and the deep blue sea and his words would only serve to lead him nowhere.
He advised the JUI-F chief against involving the religious sections of the society in any agitation against the government.
Fazl’s agitation could damage the Kashmir freedom movement, he added.
"Kashmir is dearer to us than our lives. The entire region is tense due to the Kashmir issue and Indian threats. All demands of Fazl have already been presented before the United Nations by Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech," he added.
He said Fazl wanted to use the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) but now he himself was being used.
"I want to give a message to the religious forces that the Maulana is going to lead a clash on politics and religious issues," the minister added.
He said Fazl’s father Maulana Mufti Mehmood had run a movement in the name of Islam and now his son was spreading rumors in the society.
The minister appreciated PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for his responsible statement and advised the PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif to choose one side. He claimed the movement of Fazl would shatter if Imran announced the release of six people.
"Prime minister and the army are on the same page for national economic progress, national solidarity and stability," he added.
To a question, he suggested that Shahbaz Sharif should not become "Double Shah".
“Don’t play double game, as the situation in the country is not in your favour and the country is unable to bear instability,” he advised Fazl.
The minister said an opposition leader was striving to protect his father, brother and aunt. He said Fazl’s movement was nothing more than a tactic to blackmail the government.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister's Special Assistant (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan made it clear that if the JUI-F so-called Azadi March and sit-in turned violent, the government would fulfill its responsibility to protect the lives and properties of the people.
Addressing a news conference at the State Guest House, Lahore, she said Fazl had the right to lodge protest but in a peaceful manner.
To a question, Dr Firdous said Fazl remained the chairman of Kashmir Committee for 10 years and utilised all its resources but did nothing for the cause.
Even today, she said, when the entire Pakistani nation was going to express solidarity with their brethren in the Indian Occupied Kashmir, facing curfew, tyranny and aggression at the hands of India for the last two month, Fazl was going in the opposite direction.
“He is once again pursuing his personal interests and staging a sit-in on Oct 27 — the day when the Pakistani nation would be standing with Kashmiris,” she said.
The government will not hinder a peaceful protest by the opposition, but it is more important to assess his underlying motives, she added.
"The government has very effectively fought the Kashmir cause all over the world and the UN Resolution on Kashmir took 50 years to reach in the UN General Assembly, and now, you have to decide whether you need unity or chaos in the country."
She asked whether it was time to support the innocent Kashmiris or attempt ouster of the government by trampling its public mandate.
She warned that the government would not let Fazl and the parties rejected by the people in the election to overrun its mandate.
Meanwhile, JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman Saturday said his 'war' with the government would only end when he had sent the government packing.
Talking to the media in Peshawar ahead of his Azadi March against the ruling party scheduled for later this month, Fazl said the entire country would be turned into a war zone for the political spectacle.
JUI-F plans to march on Islamabad on October 27 against the economic policies of the government, which it says had destroyed the life of the common man.
"We will keep changing our strategy to adapt to circumstances, as we move ahead with our plan," he said, adding that a flood of people from all over the country would join the march.
Fazl demanded that the existing parliament be dissolved and new elections be held to assuage the concerns of his party. He was positive that the opposition will also join him.
He lamented the increasing inflation, joblessness and slowdown in the business activity because of policies of the incumbent government.
Asked about the possibility of his arrest, the JUI-F chief reiterated that he was not afraid of arrest and was focused on overthrowing the present ‘incompetent’ government for the people.
Fazl also criticised attempts to streamline Madaris, stressing that it was a sensitive issue that needed to be dealt with accordingly.
He dismissed concerns that the sit-in will disturb law and order, saying his politics was different from the politics of PTI, Awami Tehreek and other parties, which had staged sit-ins before.
Earlier on Thursday, Fazl said he will lead the march towards Islamabad on October 27 and warned the government against placing hurdles in his way.
Speaking to the media, he said the march will begin on October 27 in which convoys from across the country would take part.
He said his party had three alternative plans to carry out the march in case the government attempted to create hurdles.
He demanded a fresh election in the country, ruling out the possibility of reconciliation with the government.
"We will come to the D-Chowk. We are not coming with an intention to leave early," he said, adding that he had no plans to change the date of the march.
However, he gave assurance that the march would be peaceful.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has urged Fazl not to use innocent students of religious seminaries for politics.
In a tweet, she said using students of Madaris as human shield for political interests was not democracy.
