Maulana Fazl announces not be part of negotiation between govt & opposition

ISLAMABAD, April 27 (SABAH): Ameer Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman has announced that his party will not be a part of dialogue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to evolve consensus on election date.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed these views while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday.

The announcement was made following an emergency meeting of the party as the government and opposition kicked off talks in Senate over the date of elections. “We will not be a part of the negotiations, even in the Senate. We stand by our position,” he remarked.

He said that his party has taken a position that the matter should be handled by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which should exercise its powers.

“I do not believe that sitting with PTI will lead to a solution. I want to bring to the court’s attention that they have not yet recognised him [Imran Khan],” he added.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the Supreme Court’s decision to hold the elections on May 14 is not enforceable, and they should correct it themselves, adding that the polls have always been held on a single day in Pakistan throughout its history.

The JUI-F chief said that the party that wins in Punjab will also come to power at the Centre. He said that the Supreme Court says they have nothing to do with the negotiation but also takes a hard stance by staying with their decision regarding polls on May 14. However, he added that at today’s hearing, the court’s demeanour seemed changed.

Expressing concerns about the accuracy of the census, he said that he has advised the government that the digital method is incorrect, saying that the constituencies will be based on the census results so they must be double-checked.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman questioned when will the accountability process of former prime minister Imran Khan begin, announcing that the party will soon launch a public campaign in this connection.

It is worth mentioning here that the development regarding the much-debated negotiations also comes on the back of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial’s comments that “courts cannot force political parties to hold negotiations”, stressing that the apex court merely sought adherence to the Constitution and an end to the impasse over the delay of elections.