Nawaz phones Fazl: JUI-F, PML-N to send govt packing

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Wednesday called up JUI-F chief and PDM President Fazlur Rehman and congratulated him on his candidates’ success in the first phase of local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Fazl said the JUI-F and PML-N would together strive for complete restoration of democracy, giving the right to vote to the people and overthrowing the incumbent government. “Our joint struggle will continue till complete restoration of democracy, giving the vote of right to people and overthrowing the government to see a better and sustainable future for the country," he said in a tweet.

Fazl thanked Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for congratulating him on success in the first phase of local government elections. Meanwhile, addressing a gathering of female students of a seminary, Fazl said everyone had seen what happened to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the KP local government polls once those who brought to them in power withdrew their support for a while.

“Insha Allah, the PTI will experience the same fate in other parts of the country also,” said Fazl, who is also the President of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). He said the opposition was already saying that the incumbents were a product of rigging but now they faced defeat in KP despite having their government there.

He regretted that the knowledge of Holy Quran, Fiqah and Hadith was being made ineffective in the educational institutions and all that was being done at behest of the government.

“The government always said it wanted to bring the seminaries in the national mainstream. We are ready to come in the national mainstream but ask you to adopt the culture of Islam. We are democratic people and want democracy prosper in the country," said Fazl.

He said the government and bureaucracy should know that the religious circles were broad-minded and it were they (government and liberals) who were short-sighted. "We are not extremists, we are part of the national mainstream and parliamentary system, democrats and talk about the Constitution and stable democratic system in the country," he said.

Fazl, however, said democracy was destabilized by those through rigging who were responsible for the country's stability. Addressing the female students completing their education, the JUI-F chief said they were facing so-called liberals who wanted to play havoc with the family system and promote vulgarity in the society. At the same time, he said his party would continue to oppose anti-Islam rituals against women.