Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday attributed responsibility for Pakistan’s current economic situation not only to former prime minister Imran Khan but also to former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-DG ISI Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed, accusing them of supporting this “project.”
Addressing a rally in Peshawar, he slammed the former provincial government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led regime was installed to “damage the cultural traditions and Islamic values” of the province.
Fazl emphasised that Pakistan’s foundation rests on Islamic ideology and expressed regret that the nation deviated from its ideological principles. He interpreted the rally as indicative of widespread support for his party, hoping for a victory in upcoming elections scheduled to be held on February 8.
Remembering the sacrifices of millions of people for Pakistan, he urged a renewed commitment to stand against global conspiracies against the country.
Highlighting the prevailing economic crisis in Pakistan, JUI-F chief said that they were not accidental, asserting that there was a deliberate plan behind it.
Amidst Pakistan’s drive of evicting illegal immigrants back to their home country, the JUI-F chief cautioned against emotional decisions, especially regarding repatriation of illegal Afghans back to their country. He claimed that there was a mounting pressure on Pakistan from various quarters to recognise Israel.
Earlier, Demonstrating a flexibility that is quite unlike with its traditional stance, a delegation of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday paid a visit to the residence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
While leaders of both the parties termed it a “non-political event”, saying that the PTI delegation — led by former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser — had only come to condole with Maulana Fazl over the death of his mother-in-law, political analysts and experts are declaring it a “significant development” against the backdrop of the bitter rivalry between the two parties in the past.
Both the Maulana and PTI Chairman Imran Khan are known to be “bitter political rivals” and not only the members of the two parties, but also their heads had been seen launching personal attacks against each other. The “condolence meeting”, according to sources, lasted for more than an hour and the PTI delegation members even offered Maghrib prayers led by the Maulana himself.
Besides Mr Qaiser, the PTI delegation included former minister in Imran Khan’s cabinet Ali Mohammad Khan, former MNA Junaid Akbar and ex-senator Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif.
