PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government here on Sunday warned JUI-F of taking action against its baton-wielding workers parading in uniform.

Addressing a press conference, Provincial Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai took exception to JUIF’s gathering in provincial capital where volunteers of Ansarul Islam, the security wing of party, were doing rehearsal for Islamabad sit-in.

He said that such parades were in violation of National Action Plan, which had been signed by all the political parties.

Shaukat Yousafzai says parade in uniform is violation of NAP

He said that the government would lodge cases against those, who paraded on roads in uniform. He said that governments would not allow anyone to wear uniform as there was only one uniformed force in the country.

The minister said that provincial government would never allow any political or other actors to form a private force as such forces were direct threat to the writ of the state.

He said that Sunday’s gathering was violation of NAP. He said that currently government was not considering any arrest, however, cases would be lodged against those doing parades in uniform.

Mr Yousafzai said that government would not allow JUI-F to use children of seminaries for its political ends.

He said that JUI-F was agitating just to free Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari from the clutches of accountability.

He said that JUI-F chief wanted to regain the space he lost to PTI in the previous general elections. He said that JUI-F not only wanted its political revival but also wanted to make relevant the people, who were behind bars on charges of corruption, in the politics of the country.

The minister said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman could not wrap up the democratic system through use of his private force. He said that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had categorically stated that his government would never allow engaging seminary students in the undemocratic activities.

He said that the bringing of peace to the country was the unified agenda of all political parties but some elements wanted to go back on it because they feared to face accountability on charges of corruption in the country.

“We were voted to power for accountability to recover the looted money. We are committed to our words translating them into actions for stern accountability. There would be no compromise on accountability,” said Mr Yousafzai.

He said that threat by Fazlur Rehman to institutions was tantamount to challenging the writ of the government. “There is no danger to the people and Islam in this country,” he added.

The minister said that Pakistan was heading toward stability owing to the help of brotherly countries. He said that non-developmental expenditures were reduced considerably while tax net was widened and the trade deficit was reduced considerably. He said that there was no bar on protest but it should be within the parameters laid down by the law.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2019