LAHORE: The opposition has agreed to get rid of the “incompetent government” of PTI and a strategy for achieving this objective will be made at a multi-party conference to be held after Eidul Azha, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced here on Monday after holding a 90-minute meeting with PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif at the latter’s Model Town residence.

During the meeting, Maulana Fazl and Shahbaz Sharif discussed the proposed MPC and problems being faced by the masses because of the bad governance of the PTI government.

According to a PML-N source, Maulana Fazl talked about the old issue of PML-N’s skipping the JUI-F’s Azadi march in Islamabad last year. The Maulana was of the view that had the PML-N joined hands with JUI-F at the latter’s march, the PTI government might have been sent packing by now.

“Maulana Fazl complained about the ‘lost opportunity’ of sending Imran Khan home during the march last year. Mr Shahbaz Sharif, however, assured him that this time the PML-N will not disappoint him (Fazl) and move together along with other opposition parties for a ‘common cause’,” the source said.

While winding up the three-week Azadi march in Islamabad last year, Maulana Fazl had claimed that he had ended his protest on the assurance that Prime Minister Imran Khan would immediately step down and new elections would be held three months after his resignation.

Talking to reporters after the meeting with PML-N chief Shahbaz Sharif, Maulana Fazl said: “All opposition parties have agreed that no more time would be given to the PTI government that came to power through rigging. Agenda to send the government home will be presented in the MPC,” the JUI-F chief said, adding that every segment of society was disappointed with the poor performance of the government.

Mr Shahbaz Sharif said that the PTI government was the worst in the history of the country because of its bad governance.

“The PTI government has done nothing for the masses whose life has become miserable because of unprecedented inflation,” he said and lamented that the government had destroyed the economy as one US dollar was equivalent to Rs170.

“Now time has come to send this government home. The meeting of the Rahbar Committee has been called and the MPC will be held after Eidul Azha,” the PML-N leader said.

When asked if he would oust Mr Khan’s government with the help of the umpire (a reference to the powers that be), Mr Shahbaz Sharif said: “Come to the cricket ground then I will tell.”

Last week, Pakistan People Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met a delegation of PML-N, led by former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and agreed to convene the MPC after Eidul Azha for making a joint anti-government strategy.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2020