Fazl calls on GDA, MQM-P leadership

JUI-F chief claims he got positive response from both parties regarding presidential election

KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Fazlur Rehman, who is contesting the election for the President of Pakistan, met on Wednesday leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) in the city to seek their support for the presidential election scheduled for September 4.

Both the MQM-P and GDA are coalition partners of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the federal government, however, Fazl has hopes that both the parties would support him for the post.



Fazl met GDA head Pir Pagara Sibghatullah Rashdi at Kingri House. Speaking to media personnel after the meeting, he said he tried to reduce tension between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) but could not succeed. He also termed his rival candidate PPP's Aitzaz Ahsan one of his friends. The JUI-F chief also claimed that he got a positive response from Kingri House.

Fazl was of the view that despite being the largest party in the National Assembly, the PTI still did not have the required numbers to win the slot of the president.

Responding to a query about massive rigging in the last general elections, Fazl said, "We were not willing to take part in parliament proceedings, but PPP and PML N convinced us to continue the democratic dispensation."



To another question concerning PPP's refusal to join other opposition parties in Parliament, he said he did not want to comment on whether the PPP leadership was doing it under compulsion or not. "I don't want to comment to land my friend in further trouble," he said referring to Asif Ali Zardari.

Later, Fazl visited the MQM-P office in Bahadurabad to persuade the party to vote for him. The MQM-P leaders said they would take up the issue with Rabita Committee members before taking any decision.