Deal with JUI-F?: PTI supporters barred from raising diesel slogans in Pishin Jalsa

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Khan Marwat on Saturday advised his party workers against raising slogans of “diesel” in Pishin power show, amid hopes of a “political deal” with their "arch-rival” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

After launching personal attacks against each other for years, ice is finally melting between the JUI-F and PTI as nothing is impossible in politics.

The PTI supporters including party founder Imran Khan would mock JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman by calling him "diesel," while the religio-political party labelled Khan as “Jewish” and “Western” agent.

However, relations between the two political foes started improving swiftly after PTI and JUI-F cried foul over the alleged rigging in the February 8 general elections.

The leaders of the two parties also held "icebreaker" meeting to devise a joint strategy against the alleged rigging. However, so far they have failed to evolve a consensus on launching the joint protest movement against the government.

Addressing the joint opposition's rally in Balochistan’s Pishin today, Marwat advised the participants against raising slogans against the JUI-F chief: “Don't raise diesel slogans as talks are underway with them [JUI-F].”

Blasting the incumbent government, the PTI leader said that Khan had been behind bars for the past 8 months in “illegal” cases. A character assassination drive had been launched against the PTI founder and his wife, he added.

A day earlier, PTI leader Omar Ayub had said that a meeting of the opposition parties would discuss the inclusion of the JUI-F in the grand opposition alliance on Saturday (today).

Earlier this month, the PTI formed the opposition alliance as part of its efforts to give the incumbent government a tough time.

With the fresh public gathering in Pishin, the PTI, under the umbrella of a “grand opposition alliance”, launched its protest movement against the alleged rigging in the general elections and for “restoration of the Constitution and democracy” in the country.