• Ayub says party can’t force Maulana to join ‘grand alliance’
• Fazl willing to engage with PTI, party seeks clarity on Imran’s ‘green-light for talks’

ISLAMABAD: The gulf between reluctant allies — the PTI and JUI-F — has widened to the point that leaders from Imran Khan’s party seem to have lost hope of launching a much-touted joint struggle alongside the religio-political outfit led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

This was evidenced by Opposition Leader Omar Ayub’s recent admission that they would forge ahead with their agitation, as they could not force the Maulana to join their ‘grand alliance’.

“We will take our caravan and move forward. Whoever comes in the caravan is fine, we will not force Maulana Sahib to support us,” he said during an appearance on DawnNewsTV on Monday.

He said the Maulana had his own political party, and if he did not want to join hands with the PTI, then it was his decision to make.

The PTI had earlier been quite confident that it would be able to win over the veteran politician from Dera Ismail Khan with help from their allies in the Tehreek Tahaffuz Aayen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) alliance.

However, the recent brouhaha over whether the incarcerated PTI founder was willing to cut a deal with the establishment for his release seems to have driven a wedge between the two parties.

Recently, PTI leader Azam Swati — whose previous allegiances include the JUI-F — claimed he had Imran Khan’s blessing to approach the establishment for talks. However, while this impression was refuted by other party leaders such as Salman Akram Raja and Omar Ayub, the JUI-F took exception and sought clarity from the PTI.

For his part, the Maulana’s recent remarks have indicated a cooling of tensions with PTI. During his press talk alongside the Jamaat-i-Islami chief in Mansoora on Monday, he expressed a willingness to “mend relations with the PTI to an extent where political dialogue is possible and national issues discussed”.

The veteran politician said that while they also had political differences with the PPP and PML-N, this should not be construed as a personal enmity.

“In the same spirit, we also want our relations with the PTI to be cordial enough to carry on political dialogue,” the Maulana said.

But according to JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza, the party wants a definitive answer on whether the PTI seeks to launch an anti-government drive, or cosy up with the powers that be. In an earlier appearance on DawnNewsTV, Senator Murtaza had indicated that the JUI-F chief was ready to disengage with the PTI over this.

“The JUI-F might not join the opposition alliance if the PTI has decided to engage with the establishment,” he had said.

“If an alliance between the two parties is formed, then all decisions will need to be taken in light of party discipline,” Senator Murtaza claimed, adding that decisions would be taken through consensus in such a case.

On Monday, Mr Ayub again denied the impression that his party was pursing the establishment, saying that no dialogue was taking place, nor were any attempts being made to initiate such talks.

However, he maintained that all parties that were part of the TTAP alliance — led by PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai — would be taken on board in case such a move was on the cards.

Mr Ayub refused to answer when asked, point blank, whom these talks would be held with.

Nadir Guramani in Islamabad and Ahmad Fraz Khan in Lahore contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2025