Fazl terms budget ‘bundle of lies’

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief and head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Sunday termed the federal budget as bundle of lies, which, he said, was presented in the parliament in a detestable manner to insult the document as well as the august house.

“The environment of hate created in the National Assembly has reached Balochistan where the provincial assembly’s gate was broken by an armored personnel carrier and a number of lawmakers were injured,” he told a news conference here.

The JUI-F chief said that the federal budget was a mere jugglery of words and figures aimed at deceiving the people. During the budget session, treasury benches committed the worst hooliganism. “The opposition members were pelted with shoes. Budget books were torn and flown into the air. Naked abuses were hurled at the opposition, which was something novel in the parliamentary history of the country,” he maintained.

Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that the government was the product of the worst-ever rigging in the country’s history. The elections were rigged to stop the entry of genuine political leadership into the parliament and a gang of street thugs was imposed on the nation, he went on to add.

The JUI-F chief added that the PDM was intact and its stance against the government was the same. The movement of the PDM against the unlawful and incompetent government was continued with full might and the next power show of the multi-party alliance would be held in Swat on July 4, he added.

Maulana Fazlur Rahaman said the people of the province would make historic participation in the gathering to reject the government and its policies. “The campaign of the PDM against the government will succeed,” he said, warning the invisible powers to stay impartial and refrain from interfering in political affairs.

He also announced support to the All Parties Conference proposed by the opposition leader for electoral reforms. “The spy agencies should have no role in the electoral process at any stage,” he added. The JUI-F head said that it was the duty of police to ensure peace and order during elections.

The opposition parties would have to formulate suggestions for just and unadulterated elections, he added. The JUI leader also condemned the attacks on religious scholars in the country. A fresh wave of terrorism was being unleashed in the country, he said, adding, “The militant activities in tribal areas have started again despite huge deployment of the army and security agencies there.” He also spoke about the newly merged tribal districts, saying the new system introduced in the tribal areas had failed to deliver. “The government has failed to release the Rs100 billion relief and rehabilitation package for the tribal districts,” he said. The Maulana also criticized the government for the unbearable hike in the prices of daily items. He castigated the Kashmir and Afghanistan policies of the current rulers and maintained that owing to the flawed policies of the rulers, Kashmir cause had been badly harmed. He said that they wanted a peaceful solution to the Afghan imbroglio. “Afghanistan has been burning in fire for the last many years. Today our enemies have established their position in Afghanistan and we have no role to play there despite having strong links of neighourhood and Islam,” he remarked.