MULTAN: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has demanded the government resign, seeking mid-term election in the country.

“Every Pakistani wants end to the incompetent government and election should be held by dissolving the assemblies. In this situation where the ruling party will suffer, the opposition parties would have to give sacrifice in the National Assembly and the Sindh government because sacrifices are needed for a big goal. If the National Assembly is dissolved, election would have to be held in Sindh, as well,” he said while talking to the media here on Thursday.

He said fair election in the country could be held if the establishment played a neutral role.

Giving his reaction to the arrest of former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Fazl termed the move an act of victimisation and one-side use of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the opposition, which was going to launch a movement against the government. Due to the movement, the people from opposition parties were being arrested, he added.

“The JUI-F will participate in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas elections after expressing its concerns. You can imagine the outcome when the army is deployed in polling booths and ballet boxes shifted under its supervision.”

Terms Abbasi’s arrest political victimisation

Fazlur Rehman said the strike by the traders after the budget on July 13 reminded the strike of 1977 and the trading community had rejected the budget as well as the government policies by observing the strike. He announced that workers of his party would be part of the next strike of the traders

“The arrest of Hafiz Saeed is a gift from Imran Khan to US President Donald Trump as the latter has claimed that the arrest was the result of his pressure.”

Prime Minister Imran Khan was going to the USA to beg for extension to his rule and the US was being pleased by pressurising the religious forces in the country.

“The bodies of the martyrs of Kashmir will be gifted to Trump and he would be informed that the pressure on the religious seminaries is being extended. It is unfortunate that the establishment is negotiating with the seminaries directly to put pressure for the acceptance of government package.”

Fazl said the US was putting pressure on Pakistan to repeal the blasphemy law and urged the nation to remain vigilant as repeal of the blasphemy law was an international conspiracy.

He said that US was funding the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) directly and efforts were under way to use this department against the seminaries.

The JUI-F chief said July 25 would be observed as a black day and a million-march would be held in Peshawar while a similar march would be held in Quetta on July 28.

Regarding the ongoing campaign against the Senate chairman, JUI-F chief claimed that in connection with no confidence move against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, not even a single senator of the opposition parties had changed his loyalties rather the senators from ruling side were contacting with the opposition.

He refuted the government’s claim that parliamentarians from the opposition were in contact with it, saying that some senators from ruling party were in contact with the opposition while no confidence move against chairman Senate would succeed.

He said that anti-government movement would be launched after the election of Senate chairman.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2019