DAGGAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F parliamentary leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Maulana Lutfur Rehman has said that the ruling parties in the province and centre should honour ‘people’s mandate’ and hold talks with Taliban to restore peace in the country.

He was speaking at a public meeting at Totalai area of Buner district here on Sunday. He said that the federal and provincial governments would have to take initiatives to hold talks with Taliban.

He said the JUI-F would extend support to the government in the parliament and outside to restore peace in the country.

The meeting was also addressed by JUI-F former lawmakers, including Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, Rahat Hussain, Istiqbal Khan, Shujaul Mulk, Maulana Qasim, Mufti Kifayatullah and district amir Mufti Fazal Ghafoor.

The speakers accused the ANP, JI and PPP of being agents of the west, which they said was bent upon turning the country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, into a secular state by ‘spreading obscenity and secular ideas’.

They said that the core issues like inflation, unemployment, poverty, excessive loadshedding, non-availability of gas and provision of justice were never given priority by the government.

On the occasion, Jamaat-i-Islami, Khadukhel area amir and former town nazim Yousaf Ali and PPP PK-77 president Saiful Khan along with their families and dozens of supporters announced joining the JUI-F.