LAHORE: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday called on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at his Jati Umra residence but declined to support his endeavour to have Articles 62 and 63 expunged from the Constitution.

Fazlur Rehman held a 40-minute meeting with the deposed prime minister and discussed the political situation in the country following Supreme Court’s order of Mr Sharif’s removal from the office of premier.

While he did not face the media after meeting Mr Sharif, sources say Fazlur Rehman did not give his consent to support the PML-N in removing Articles 62 and 63. The JUI-F chief asserted that removal of such provisions would deface the Constitution and cause uncalled for political crisis in the country, said sources.

The JUI-F chief’s refusal may aggravate PML-N’s problems though he assured the former prime minister that he would stand by him for strengthening democracy and supremacy of civilian authority. He also assured Mr Sharif that the JUI-F would continue to be an ally of the PML-N in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sources claimed that the meeting also suggested that the JUI-F chief should make efforts to bring Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari closer.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2017