ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has expressed lack of confidence in the investigation into Thursday’s suicide attack on him and said he does not expect any success in tracing the attackers.

“All inquires and investigations into political murders, including the assassination of former prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan, have remained inconclusive,” he said while talking to reporters outside his residence here on Saturday.

Maulana Fazl received a large number of visitors, including federal ministers and parliamentarians, who visited his residence to express solidarity and sympathy with him.

The visitors — among them Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, Information Minister Pervez Rashid, Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz and Leader of the House in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq — condemned the suicide attack and expressed sorrow over the death of two JUI-F workers in it.

The Maulana said he believed in politics of principles and vowed to stand by his party’s manifesto despite facing threats. “These things will never bog me down or force me to abandon our traditional politics,” he said.

Despite the serious environment, the Maulana did not miss the chance to bring smiles to the tense faces of his visitors by demonstrating his wit. He told reporters that his party’s public gatherings were not being given due coverage because they did not have music or “attractive participants”.

“There is no baja and baji in our public gatherings, the presence of which in the rallies of other parties earns attention of the media,” he said.

Pervez Rashid used the occasion to score a point against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

He said that Mr Khan should learn from his mistakes so that he did not repeat them. The Islamabad sit-ins had resulted in serious financial losses for the country and slowed the pace of economic progress.

The minister praised role of the army in combating terrorism and said personnel of the armed forces had been rendering great sacrifices for the cause of peace.

He said the nation was united against terrorists and expressed the hope that the country would become more secure and strong in near future.

In a related development, PTI Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari criticised the JUI-F chief’s remarks that the media gave coverage to PTI rallies because of music and participation of women in them.

“This statement reflects mental sickness of the Maulana,” she said.

Nevertheless, she said, the PTI condemned the suicide attack on the JUI-F chief.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2014