MULTAN: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday said that public demonstrations and protests were fundamental rights of the people and the government should not be afraid of them, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to media representatives, he however added that there should have been another date for the protest rallies of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) instead of August 14 – the independence day of Pakistan.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that his party has also been a part of several ‘million marches,’ adding that such protests do not bear fruit.

PTI to finalise long march plan on 15th

He said that anti-US mindset in the country would not be satisfied as long as “we are called an ally of America.”

Getting the coalition support fund alongside claiming not to be part of the global coalition in the war on terror is an open contradiction, said the JUI-F chief, adding that Pakistan cannot call it an “internal affair” until its stops taking foreign money.

“We need to get out of these contradictions,” said Fazl.

The JUI-F chief emphasised on the need for an uninterrupted democratic system in the country, questioning why democracy has always been portrayed as a “failed experiment.”

Commenting on the ongoing operation Zarb-i-Azb in North Waziristan, he said that wars have never eradicated enemies. “Operation in Swat did not completely eliminate terrorists from there,” he added.