MANSEHRA: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari shouldn’t worry about his (Fazl’s) political ideology and instead, he should support the next month’s anti-government Azadi March as decided by the multiparty conferences, which took place across the country during the last one year.

“I have nothing do with Mr Bilawal’s remarks about my politics based on Islamic ideology guaranteed in our Constitution. He should respect the decisions made at the countrywide multiparty conferences for the launch of a joint struggle to dislodge this fascist government, which came into being through rigged elections,” Mr Fazl told a news conference at the residence of party leader Malik Naveed here on Friday.

When asked if the PPP is not joining the JUI-F’s Azadi March to secure the release of its detained leader Asif Ali Zardari and others through a deal, Mr Fazl opted not to respond.

He said political parties, including PPP, had agreed to oust the ruling PTI through street protests.

“I am sure that this government will be dislodged before our convoys reach Islamabad from across the country. The military establishment and bureaucracy should not follow the orders of this government for confronting the people,” he said.

The JUI-F leader said he took decisions on his own, would never follow instructions given by the government and would go ahead with the Azadi March plans.

“The government is pleading us not to begin the long march insisting this is not an appropriate time to do so as Kashmiris are in trouble, but I categorically say this is the ideal time to hold the Azadi March to expose the weakness of this government and overthrow it,” he said.

Mr Fazl said the establishment and bureaucracy should stop backing the ruling PTI as its government was illegitimate.

Resenting high inflation in the country, he blamed the government for it and said the people wanted to get rid of it.

“We won’t quit assemblies alone. We will rather persuade other political parties, too, to do,” he said.

The JUI-F leader denounced the arrest of PPP MNA Khursheed Shah and said the rulers were using the National Accountability Bureau as a tool to settle personal vendetta against opposition leaders.

“The NAB is a disputed and controversial entity, which is playing in the hands of the government,” he said.

Mr Fazl said the government won’t be allowed to victimise media outlets by setting up special tribunals.

“We will never allow the government to restrict the media’s independence, while the media, too, should resist such tribunals,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2019