RIYADH, Sept 23: Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman says he will present his point of view at the APDM meeting in Peshawar on Tuesday so that appropriate decisions are taken keeping in view the ground realities. He said he was confident a consensus decision would be taken at the meeting.
The Maulana told Dawn that he had already summoned a JUI-F meeting on Monday to formulate his party’s strategy, before the APDM’s Peshawar meeting. However, he cautioned that in the enthusiasm for the struggle for democracy one should not push the country towards another martial law. “I am striving to make my colleagues understand that we need to adopt a middle path, rather than extreme positions. Breakdown of institutions could lead to chaos and hurt the short- and long-term interests of the country. It may also encourage non-democratic forces to get in”.
He stressed that all decisions within his own party and within the APDM should be taken unanimously.
“Politics should not reach the level of enmity. Rather than insisting on extreme positions, political forces need to adopt a political approach – reach out to the masses during elections, and expose the wrongdoings of the government and political foes. We should let the people decide.”
He also said: “Politics should stay within the realm of politics. Instead of trying to knock the system out, we should try to weaken the government and then exploit the weakness. Our objective at this stage should be to weaken the government further.”
He said that General Musharraf was now weaker than at any time in the past and the opposition needed to take advantage of this weakness.
He also stressed the need for keeping in mind Pakistan’s stability and its economic development. “Any major upheaval and instability could cause major economic problems,” he said.
Ashraf Mumtaz adds from Lahore: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman called on former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif in Jeddah on Sunday night and exchanged views with him on the political situation in Pakistan.
This was the second meeting between them over the past few days.
The PML-N leader is reported to have stressed the need for unity among the opposition parties to block Gen Musharraf’s bid for re-election and said that his party was prepared to offer any sacrifice to get rid of dictatorship.
He said that all parties should quit their assembly seats and make it impossible for the general to get re-elected.
Maulana Fazl told Mr Sharif that he wanted all parties in the APDM to adopt a joint course of action. He said an effective strategy should be worked out before tendering resignations.
Maulana Fazl said he was opposed to extension of the tenure of the assemblies on any account. After the meeting, Maulana Fazl, his secretary-general Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri and other members of the family left for Islamabad.
