Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman on Sunday warned the government against creating hurdles in the way of the "Azad March" and said that the march will be peaceful.
The JUI-F chief, while addressing the party's Salar Force, comprised of volunteers, said in Peshawar on Sunday that his party workers have opted for a peaceful protest for their rights. "Our party workers and seminary students have always respected the Constitution," he said.
On the occasion, the volunteers presented a guard of honour to Rehman. They took oath of safeguarding the leadership even at the cost of their lives.
Talking about political support for the march, he said that all parties are on the same page. "The march will begin on October 27 to show solidarity with Kashmiris."
The JUI-F leader said he is "in touch with all political parties over the march".
He said while addressing the government, "We are peaceful people, we will not attack the parliament or the PTV. Unlike you, we will not hang trousers on the walls of institutions."
It is not only a political party, but the entire nation, which is coming to Islamabad, he said, adding, "We are seeking an assurance of peace against our message of peace."
"We will be able to sustain your baton charges but you will not even be able to withstand a mere puff of air we blow on you," he warned. "We will go forward as we have no option to turn back."
The JUI-F chief said that an "illicit government" had been imposed on the country through a "theft of votes".
"No one comes [to the airport] to welcome him when our fake prime minister goes on a foreign visit. The puppet [prime minister] has been imposed for implementation of the Western world agenda," said Rehman, adding that the country was going backwards due to the "incompetent ruler".
"The economy is sinking, factories are being shut and traders are in distress, while the prime minister in an effort to support the economy has now moved on from poultry and livestock to langars," he said.
KP govt responds
Later in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai warned the JUI-F against stick-wielding, uniformed workers marching on the roads.
"When you are marching on roads in uniforms it means that you are erecting a force. This is a violation of the National Action Plan (NAP) and will not be tolerated," said Yousufzai.
"I know who is pushing Rehman; money is pushing him. He is threatening institutions, he is trying to use seminary students," the minister said.
The information minister added that the JUI-F chief was struggling to get incarcerated former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari out of jail.