LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is not ready to launch a full-fledged campaign against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government right now because he doubts that the new elections will be held after its ouster, it is reliably learnt.

“Mian Sahib told Maulana Fazlur Rehman that he will be ready to come out on roads against the government if the JUI-F chief guarantees that ouster of the PTI government will result in holding of general elections afresh,” a senior leader of the Jamiat Ulmaa-i-Islam-Fazl told Dawn here on Tuesday.

The Maulana had met Mr Sharif at the latter’s residence here on last Sunday to convince him to attend the multi-party conference (MPC) the former wanted to convene for cobbling together an opposition alliance against the government.

Requesting not to be named, the JUI-F official said the former prime minister thought that toppling of the incumbent government was not a problem, but the question was what would happen after it.

He said Mr Sharif declined to personally attend the MPC, saying that then people would naturally begin seeking a deadline for launching a drive and ousting the government.

The PML-N has, however, promised to send a Raja Zafarul Haq-led delegation of the party to the proposed MPC.

On the other hand, PPP leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari has also refused to join the MPC in case Nawaz Sharif skips the event.

The PPP will also send a representative delegation to the moot.

The JUI-F official asserted that the PML-N supremo didn’t seem to be in a mood to go pro-active for dislodging the government until September next.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2018