MULTAN: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman says that although the religious parties are not in a position to form the government, they can definitely derail it.

“Rana Sanaullah says that the people do not cast their vote for religious parties but I want to make it clear to Sanaullah that though we are not in a position to form the government, we are able to derail the government whenever we want,” he said while talking to the media here on Tuesday.

Fazl said the government should introduce legislation under which a person who committed blasphemy against the Holy Prophet be punished automatically and people might not have to take law in their hands. He said a meeting of religious elements would be called soon over the issues of the protection of religious seminaries and Women Protection Act to devise future line of action.

The JUI-F chief said the Women Protection Act passed by the Punjab Assembly was against the constitution, law and Islamic teachings.

“We reject all such laws and will continue to play our role to protect the Sharia as such laws usually are introduced to fulfill the foreign agenda,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2016