PDM united, wants real democracy, says Maulana Fazlur Rehman

SUKKUR: JUI-F chief and the current head of the PDM, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has said that the opposition alliance was determined to send the PTI government home. He said the PDM remains united and wanted real democracy and autonomy of the institutions. He said PM Niazi and his team have damaged the institutions and national sovereignty.

Fazlur Rehman was talking to newsmen at Hala, where he had gone to condole with Makhdoom Jamil-uz-Zaman over the demise of his younger brother Aqeel-uz-Zaman. He criticised the PTI for filing an FIR against PML-N leader Captain (retd) Safdar and also slammed the way he was arrested by breaking down the door and barging into his room. He termed it unethical and a violation of social norms. He said we have all the respect for institutions but the establishment, bureaucracy and the judiciary must not interfere in politics. The role of all the institutions has been defined under the Constitution and they must strictly operate within those domains. The JUI- F chief said it is bad to hear the names of high profile officials in public rallies and things should have never come to such a pass.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman said we do not want to violate the law and the Constitution. People are fed up with this government due to its mismanagement of the economy and bad governance, which is forcing people to cut corners to make ends meet. He said nothing can divide the opposition, which is fighting for the rights of the people and agitating against inflation, food shortages, high tariff of power and gas and their shortages, which have made the lives of people miserable. The PDM chief said the PTI government has adopted witch-hunting of the opposition and against all forms of dissent, including independent media.

Terming dissent as the soul of democracy, he claimed the government is bent upon gagging liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. Fazl charged that by bulldozing the laws, the PTI has relegated the parliament into a rubber stamp. Fazl said the Gujranwala and Karachi public rallies were successful referendum against the PTI government and hoped that the same political enthusiasm would be witnessed in other scheduled PDM rallies.