PTI foreign funding: Fazlur Rehman says case pertains to Israel, India

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President and head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday said the general elections would be held on time and the government would complete its tenure to put the country’s economy back on track.

He was addressing a party gathering where former minister Iftikhar Khan Mohmand and his son Khawar Mohmand quit the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and joined the JUIF.

The Maulana said that the PDM parties’ heads met on Friday after a four-month gap. “The political situation was discussed and it was unanimously decided that the government should complete the remaining tenure,” he added.

The Maulana said the PDM was struggling for the survival of the country and protection of future generations. “The political forces have united despite differences, only to protect the future generations from the evil,” he said.

He said the conspiracy of imposing “foreign agents” on the country has been foiled. “Imran Khan and his party have been pushed back from national politics and they would not be able to rise again. Their rule has become a past story. Imran and his party could not deliver anything except for teaching misbehaviour and abuses to the new generation,” the Maulana said.

He said all the mischief of the previous government were being exposed one by one. “The prohibited funding case is the most serious among them. Funds were collected from Indians and Israelis,” he alleged.

The PDM chief said the Election Commission of Pakistan should not delay its decision in the foreign funding case. He said that the foreign funding case was a big issue. “The leader, as well as the party, would be done away with if the decision into the case is fairly announced,” he said.

The Maulana said the matter should be thoroughly checked from where the funds were collected and brought. “It would expose the real foreign agents,” he said while referring to a Financial Times newspaper story about the foreign funding case of the PTI.

The PDM head pointed fingers at some religious leaders, who were expelled from JUIF, saying: “They have now become advocates of Israel, who say, don’t speak ill of Israel as it is the name of a prophet.” He said such ignorant people were expelled from JUIF in a cleanliness drive of the party.

He said when a case was filed against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the name of Panama, it ended with Iqama and he was disqualified. “But when similar cases were filed against a blue-eyed person, different excuses are being cited to protect him,” he added.

The Maulana said the way the judicial commission rejected the decision of the chief justice in the judges’ appointment, the decision about the Punjab government would have met the same fate if a full-bench had been formed a day earlier. The Supreme Court did not form a full bench despite the unanimous demand of all the political parties on the pretext of vacations of judges, while the very next day the judicial commission’s meeting was convened.

He asked judges, generals and bureaucrats to stay away from politics. “If you want politics, come to the political arena and stop using your honourable institutions. We would show you your worth in the political field. Stop polluting the political ground by throwing stones from outside,” the Maulana said.

About Imran’s narrative of regime change, the PDM chief said he (PTI chief) was criticising the US because he knew anti-Americanism could be easily sold in the country. He alleged that he (Imran) himself had reached the power corridors with the US support. “Before Bani Gala, Imran used to live in a rented house in E-7, Islamabad, for some nine years and the US paid rent of the house during the whole period,” he alleged.

The Maulana welcomed the speaker’s decision of accepting the resignations of the PTI members of the National Assembly. “The speaker has taken the start. Now all the resignations of the PTI MNAs would be accepted one by one,” he said. He urged his party workers to run a campaign for the by-election with full zeal in favour of all the candidates of PDM. Maulana Fazlur Rehman welcomed Iftikhar Mohmand and his son into the party and said that they had taken the decision at a time when the country was faced with serious problems.