MANSEHRA, Dec, 30: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman has urged the government to postpone the elections and said that the polls if held on January 8 would plunge the country into a crisis.

Talking to reporters after offering Fateha for the father of Maulana Abdul Aziz at his residence here on Sunday, the MMA leader said the country was passing through a critical juncture because of the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

He said that some people would use “Sindh and Punjab cards” to manipulate the elections if held at this stage, adding that it might lead to another “Bangladesh debacle”.

The Maulana, however, said that the JUI was ready for the elections held at any time.

He alleged that some vested interests were out to destabilise and dismember the country. He accused the government of having failed to protect people’s life and property.

The JUI chief termed the assassination of Ms Bhutto a national tragedy and called upon the authorities to conduct an impartial inquiry and bring the perpetrators to book.