Fazl demands immediate fresh elections

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday demanded immediate fresh elections without the interference of establishment.

“The election results of February 8 have been already rejected and are not acceptable. The right to vote should be returned to the nation and fresh, free, fair and transparent elections should be held without any interference. Any kind of interference in the elections is not acceptable,” he said while addressing a press conference here on Sunday after the conclusion of two-day Majlis Shura of JUIF.

Fazlur Rehman said the JUIF Majlis-e-Shura has decided to increase interaction with political parties so that the influence of apolitical forces in political spectrum could be reduced. He said the movement against the interference of establishment in elections will be carried forward. “The forces and secret agencies should not interfere in the election process. Impartial and transparent elections should be held,” he said.

Fazlur Rehman said that this matter was very serious. “This issue is not about convincing any political party but it is a permanent political issue of the country on which JUIF has taken a position.” He said the JUIF wants that a guarantee for transparent elections should be provided. He said the government does not have enough courage to resolve JUIF’s grievances.

Fazl said the JUIF had made it clear to PTI even in the beginning that its reservations should be removed and then JUIF would be ready to join hands with the party for the movement for fair and transparent elections. “We still stand by our positive approach,” he said.

Fazl said that there was no unity and seriousness in the leadership of PTI so far. When delegations come from the party chief, they come with instructions to settle matters with us but till now they have not formed any negotiation team. “On the other hand, head of Sunni Ittehad Council has made a statement that there can be no alliance with JUIF. These are two completely conflicting views and JUIF is finding it difficult to establish an opinion.”

The JUIF chief said, “We have no hesitation in creating a better political environment. A political party neither refuses to negotiate to resolve differences nor does it refuse to resolve issues.” He said the Majlis-e-Shura also reiterated its position that the Constitution determines the limits of all the institutions, including Pakistan Army, so all the institutions should be within their constitutional limits and play their role for the country as per the Constitution.

He said that the matter of country’s defence is a national issue and the whole nation stands by the side of the army. “But political interference itself negates their oath and also contradicts the Constitution of Pakistan, which we are not ready to accept.”

He said the nation was not taken into confidence on the Azm-e-Istehkam operation. There are many questions on how many operations were conducted after 9/11 and why terrorism has increased ten-fold but we do not want to create problems for the state by raising more questions.

Fazl said that after two days, an explanation was issued from the Prime Minister’s House, so it is not known which statement people should believe in. There is a state of anxiety in the whole country, especially in two provinces. “People are insecure and when they go out of the house, they are not sure whether they will be able to return home safely or not.”

On defence minister Khawaja Asif’s statement regarding Afghanistan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that today it is being said that action will be taken in Afghanistan and asked if they wanted to attack Afghanistan to cover up the failure to stop terrorism inside Pakistan. “Are you helpless in front of terrorists?” he asked. He said that there are many questions which they did not want to raise and create problems for the state. “In the eyes of the United States, the Islamic Emirate and Hamas are also terrorists.”

When told that Khawaja Asif had said on the floor of the National Assembly that the opposition was supporting terrorists, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he had said in 2010 that this operation should not take place and their strategy was wrong.

He said Rs100 billion were announced for Fata at the time of merger but the promise had not been fulfilled so far.

In reply to another question, Fazlur Rehman said it was decided to continue the struggle from the JUIF platform without waiting for a formal alliance but the process of political contacts would be considered as positive. If an atmosphere of mutual cooperation is created among the political parties, JUIF will try to make it workable.

He said the JUIF fully supports the Pak-China relations but the government has not yet been able to restore China’s confidence in Pakistan for foreign investment.

Fazlur Rehman asked if the US Congress resolution on the February 8 election was not a diplomatic failure of Pakistan. “The United States should not interfere in the political affairs of Pakistan,” he said.

On the Kashmir and Gaza crises, the JUIF chief said that August 5 would be remembered as a black day for ending the special status of Occupied Kashmir while the Muslim Ummah has left the people of Gaza alone.

He added that because of foreign interference, the situation on the Pak-Afghan border has become disturbing and it also raised questions about the effectiveness of Pakistan’s foreign policy.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information, Broadcasting, Culture and National Heritage Attaullah Tarar on Sunday said that the general elections would only be held in 2029 on the completion of constitutional tenure of the incumbent government.

While reacting to JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s presser, he said parliament is an appropriate forum to do politics in the current circumstances. “Solution to all the problems in politics lies in negotiations and dialogue,” the minister added.

Tarar termed Maulana Fazl a “seasoned” and “respected” politician, urging him to appreciate the government’s economic policies that increased the foreign exchange reserves and took the stock exchange to historic highest level. He lauded the government for strengthening the rupee and reducing trade deficit significantly.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s senior leader and Leader of Opposition in the Senate Syed Shibli Faraz said they had thrashed out a basic outline for parleys with the JUIF but the exercise will get a final shape after endorsement from the party founder Imran Khan.

He was asked for his comment on Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s news conference during which the JUIF chief noted a lack of unity in PTI leadership and said that they had not yet formed a negotiating panel, whereas the Sunni Ittehad Council had opposed an alliance with JUIF.

Talking to The News, Senator Shibli pointed out they shared unanimity on the issue of mandate theft in the February general elections and would like to move forward accordingly. Moreover, he noted both sides also had a great degree of commonality with regard to the new military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On the question of formation of a five-member PTI committee for talks with JUIF, he said this team would be formally approved by the PTI founder chairman when his lawyers meet him today (Monday). He explained that Asad Qaiser had been holding negotiations on party’s behalf with the JUIF leadership, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

“There are speculations that PTI negotiating team would comprise Asad Qaiser, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Raoof Hasan.”

Shibli Faraz said that after approval from Imran Khan, an announcement would be made about the PTI negotiation team for formal talks with JUIF.

Another PTI source said that during Asad Qaiser’s meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence here, the host had complained about non-formation of a political committee by the PTI for a serious round of talks with his party.