Building trust to pave way for talks: Fazl

ISLAMABAD: JUI-F top leader Fazlur Rehman Wednesday said an atmosphere of trust was needed for talks with the government or any other power. He said this after a meeting with an opposition parties’ delegation, led by Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan,

Responding to a question at a joint press conference, Fazl said they did not know as to who would talk to the opposition. “Whether it is the government or army,” he told a questioner suggesting that the question should be put to them (government and army).

Fazl also questioned restrictions on the people’s movement through the Pak-Afghan border, saying there was unrest in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where people were protesting as they had been left with no money to earn their bread and butter.

Earlier, in a huddle at the residence of Fazl, the opposition leaders decided to continue to engage for the supremacy of Constitution and law. The delegation comprised Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan, Asad Qaiser and Sajid Tareen of the Balochistan National Party. Senator Kamran Murtaza of JUI-F was also present.

“Almighty Allah has given a lot of courage and wisdom to Maulana Fazlur Rehman and we want to utilize the same for supremacy of Constitution and law in the country,” National Assembly ex-speaker Asad Qaiser said at the joint press conference after the meeting. He, however, maintained that their struggle was not aimed at toppling any government and bringing somebody else, rather they wanted the rule of the Constitution and law in the country.

“We discussed restrictions on the media, freedom of expression, farmers’ problems and arrests of workers,” he said, adding that all political powers would have to join their hands now. He said what happened with Raoof Hassan was enough to prove that there was a law of the jungle in the country. Asad said the opposition would resist the negative campaign against the judiciary aimed at pressurizing it and affecting the Supreme Court proceedings.

Omar Ayub said all the opposition parties under the umbrella of Tehreek-e-Tahuffuz Ain (Constitution) and JUI-F and others wanted the supremacy of Constitution and law in letter and spirit. “In the same context, we held a detailed discussion and will continue to meet for the same objective in future too,” Omar said, adding that there was no rule of Constitution and law in the country which was obvious from the fact that the police attacked the PTI’s central office.

He said in the present circumstances, there was no justice and the country was passing through an undeclared martial law and the government was indulging in undemocratic actions. The opposition leader maintained that the opposition would not only oppose the defamation bill passed by the Punjab Assembly but also move the court. To a question, he said the incumbent government itself was digging its grave on the cipher issue. He said during his meeting with the US ambassador, it was made clear that Pakistan was an independent state and no external interference in the country’s affairs would be acceptable.