LAKKI MARWAT/ KARAK, May 5: Lashing out at Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, Jamiat Ulemai-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief and candidate for NA-27 Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday that instead of deceiving youths about a ‘new Pakistan’, the PTI chief should first make his sons Muslims and Pakistanis.

“How can a person like Imran dream of becoming the prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan when his sons go to churches for worship,” he said while speaking at separate public gatherings in Darra Pezu, Ummar Adda and Behramkhel.

The JUI-F chief said that ulema had issued a decree that casting vote in favour of Imran Khan was ‘haram’ (un-Islamic). He alleged that the PTI chief was implementing Jewish agenda in the country and for this purpose he had sought the support from Ahmadis.  The JUI workers, he said, would foil any move to declare Ahmadis as Muslims.

JUI-F candidate for PK-75, Malik Noor Saleem, Pir Fawad Raza Zakori, Naseer Mohammad Khan and Sher Afzal Marwat also spoke on the occasion.

Maulana Fazl said that previous governments of Pakistan People’s Party and Awami National Party were responsible for lawlessness because they did not implement the unanimously passed resolution of parliament and continued with the pro-US policies of dictatorial regime of Pervez Musharraf.

Without naming PPP provincial president Anwar Saifullah, who had held Maulana Fazl and Pervez Musharraf responsible for militancy, the JUI-F leader said that militancy flourished due to the wrong policies of President Zardari, who always surrendered to the US pressure and tried to appease Uncle Sam.

He said that political and military governments could not enforce Shariah in the country during last 65 years rather the past rulers divided masses on communal, religious and linguistics basis and sowed the seeds of hatred among different communities.

Earlier, addressing an election rally in Karak, Maulana Fazl reiterated his decree that PTI chairman Imran Khan was the agent of Jews and casting vote for him was un-Islamic.

He alleged that Mr Khan was promoting the foreign agenda of accepting the Qadianis as Muslims, if voted to power. He said that the country was in debt of foreign loan amounting to $70 billion due to the PPP government’s wrong economic policies.

Maulana Fazl claimed that the JUI-F had always stopped the parliamentarians from enacting laws contradictory to the teachings of Islam. He recalled that the award of oil and gas royalty to Karak was the major achievement of MMA government.

In Swabi, Maulana Attaur Rehman, younger brother of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and other leaders of Jamiat Ulemai-i-Islam (JUI-F) on Sunday also reacted sharply to Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan’s tirade against the JUI-F chief and alleged that Mr Khan had been working on a well-planned foreign agenda.

They were speaking at their party meeting in Zaida here on Sunday.

Maulana Atta’s visit was apparently planned after Mr Khan’s criticism of the JUI-F chief on Saturday as a damage control strategy of its leaders.

The war of words has intensified, and accusations and counter-accusations by leaders of the two parties are now a routine during the election campaign to woo the voters.

Maulana Atta also claimed that ulema had already issued a decree against Mr Khan, saying that it was ‘haram’ (forbidden in Islam) to vote for the PTI chief. However, he did not disclose the names of religious scholars who had issued such a decree.

He also said that after hollow slogans of ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ and ‘own land, own rule’ of certain political parties, a cricketer had now been hoodwinking people by raising the slogan of ‘new Pakistan’.

“In fact, he wants a Pakistan which works according to the agenda of Jews and non-Muslims. No, we will never allow him to do so. His agenda is quite dubious,” Maulana Atta said while referring to Imran Khan.

Former provincial education minister Maulana Fazal Ali told this correspondent that when Mr Khan visited Swabi, Mardan, Charsadda and Buner on Saturday his main target was JUI-F chief.

“We as leaders and workers firmly support our party chief who belongs to a family that has been working for the cause of Islam and Pakistan,” he said.