Fazl’s somersault sparks debate on who directed no-trust move

ISLAMABAD: JUIF chief Fazlur Rehman’s dramatic volte-face on his statement blaming Gen Bajwa and Gen Faiz Hameed for toppling the PTI government set off a new debate on Friday as to who was behind the move.

In an interview with a private channel on Thursday, Fazl pointed a finger at Gen Bajwa and Lt. Gen Faiz Hameed for toppling the PTI government through a no-confidence motion. Fazl said the leaders of all parties, including the PPP and PMLN, were called in presence of Gen Bajwa and Faiz Hameed who told them how to move ahead with the no-confidence motion.

He replied in ‘Yes’ when the host asked whether Bajwa and Faiz led the move and the parties against Imran just stamped their decision.

He said it was the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which initially ran a no-confidence move against Imran when Faiz Hameed himself came to meet him.

“Faiz Hameed told me to act within the system and nothing will be done outside the system but I refused,” Fazl claimed.

“I mistakenly uttered the name of Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed during the interview,” Fazl said on Friday. However, he still considered General Bajwa and General Faiz Hameed responsible for rigging 2018 elections.

“Everything is part of history and should not be discussed anymore,” he said.

The JUI-F chief said it was sufficient to say that they wanted to topple Imran’s government through a no-confidence motion and the leaders of PDM, PPP and ANP also used to hold meetings in that regard adding that General Bajwa also met him many times.

He maintained that elections were massively rigged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country and that was why a PTI delegation came to meet him.

“I told the PTI leaders that the elections were rigged to benefit them and in such a situation how things will move forward,” he said.

Fazl further said despite differences, the PTI delegation met him and talked positively.

Meanwhile, the country’s major political parties Friday registered a strong protest with Fazl for his assertions and said he was speaking contrary to the facts belittling his image.

PMLN leader Rana Sanaullah said the establishment was completely neutral during the no-trust move against Imran-led PTI government and it was due to its neutrality that the PTI founder chairman out of frustration said only an animal could be neutral.

Talking to the host of Geo News programme ‘New Pakistan’, he said Gen Bajwa had told the opposition parties that if they took back the no-trust move, Imran would announced the general elections.

He said when the opposition parties deliberated on this offer, Fazl put forth very strong arguments and said Imran Khan was a Jewish agent and he should not be trusted and that he would destroy the country.

Sana said he held Fazl in high esteem but he had done himself a huge injustice by talking contrary to facts. He said if Gen Faiz was not responsible for the no-trust, then Fazl should name the people behind the move.

PMLN leader Malik Ahmad Khan Friday said former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa had advised the then opposition to withdraw the vote of no-confidence (VONC) against the then Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Speaking to the reporters in Lahore, he said JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman should prove that General Bajwa and General Faiz had suggested the political leaders to file a no-confidence motion against Imran. He said Fazl spoke contrary to the facts.

In the meeting, attending by all the leaders, General Bajwa had advised against bringing a no-confidence motion, he said, adding that if Fazl had any witness, he should bring him forward. General Faiz was corps commander at that time, he added.

Malik Ahmed said the filing of no-confidence motion was before everyone.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Friday rejected Fazlur Rehman’s claim about the no-confidence motion and said being the PDM chief he benefited more than anyone else.

“Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s party has lost in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but he is making a hue and cry in Sindh,” said PPP’s Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

Kundi said Fazl should tell on whose request the PPP was expelled from the PDM. He said the JUI-PTI meeting was a big change in Islamabad and now they should apologize to each other for the titles they had bestowed on each other in the past.

Nadeem Afzal Chan said Fazlur Rehman was angry with someone else but was taking the name of others.

Defending the decision of joining the government along with PMLN, Kundi and Chan said this step was for the sake of democracy as the country could not afford a constitutional crisis.

He said if the PPP did not vote for PML-N’s candidate, then the country would be in a serious constitutional crisis.

“If we do not vote and sit in the opposition, then the government will not be formed and the country will have to go for new elections. But the country cannot afford new elections. We are not taking ministries,” he said.

He said the political parties had to sit together in the current situation.

“We want election reforms and are ready to negotiate with all political parties,” he said.

Kundi said a big change was seen in Islamabad when JUI-F and PTI came together.

He questioned on whose directions Fazl initiated a sit-in in Islamabad and on whose orders he ended the sit-in.

Kundi questioned if the sins of May 9 had been forgiven. He said the PPP had the majority in Balochistan and will form its government there and the PML-N will hopefully support it.

Kundi said the PPP will nominate its candidate for the constitutional post of the president, chairman Senate and speaker National Assembly.

“Asif Ali Zardari has always done the politics of reconciliation; we did not buy any seats; otherwise, we would have formed the government,” he said.

Replying to a question, Chan said the PPP also had objections to the results of the recent election.

“There are always differences in politics; no one considered these elections fair and transparent. There have not been fair and transparent elections in the country to date,” he said.

Reacting to Fazlur Rehman’s statement, Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui Thursday said the matter was different from what was portrayed by the JUI-F leader.

Speaking to reporters in Karachi, Siddiqui said Bajwa had requested the chiefs of political parties present in the meeting with him to withdraw the no-confidence motion.

“If we and you [Rehman] take this talk forward, then the opportunity of democracy may lapse,” he said adding that the MQM-P also had reservations about the 2018 election results but instead of taking to the streets, they furnished their complaints with the Election Commission of Pakistan and courts but justice was not served.

Taking a jibe at the Jamaat-e-Islami, he said this party sometimes used the PTI founder and sometimes GDA leader Pir Pagara and Altaf Hussain in the name of bringing about a revolution.

Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Akhtar Mengal Friday said Gen Bajwa had not suggested the no-trust move against Imran but rather he had brought the PTI founder chairman round on dissolving the assemblies and announcing the general election.

He said Imran’s pride and hubris brought all the parties on one platform leading to the no-trust motion.