Fazl demands election authorities to step down

Says his party will not allow appointment of an Ahmadi to a key post

PESHAWAR: Reiterating his claim that the July 25 general election was rigged in favour of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman has demanded resignation of elections authorities.

“The chief election commissioner must accept his failure in conducting a free and fair election in the country and resign from his position. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should schedule new election as most of the parties are not satisfied with the poll results,” Fazl said Thursday.

The JUI-F chief, who is also head of a religious parties’ alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), was addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club. Fazl was speaking to media days after his defeat in the presidential election.



He blamed the establishment for playing a role in the government formation at the Centre and provinces and during crucial polls for the president, prime minister and speaker of National Assembly.

“The majority achieved by the PTI at the Centre and in provinces is fake. The party stole the results via rigging. Soon they (PTI) will face public agitation in the country,” he added.

He also criticised the government for induction of a Qadiyani member in the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) and warned that his party will never let a Qadiyani be appointed to a key post.

The JUI-F leader also asked the PTI leadership to clarify its stance on unified curricula in madrasas. “We are not against modern education, but the services of religious seminaries should also be acknowledged for the positive formation of society,” he added.



Coming down hard on the new government, he said it has dropped a ‘bomb of inflation’ on the masses. He termed the new government a government of un-professionals.

Fazl also poked fun at the information minister’s claims regarding economy of a helicopter and quipped that he was also dreaming of using a helicopter for daily use as it is cheaper than cars.

In his December 6 Defense Day message, he paid homage to “our soldiers and officers, who have sacrificed their lives for safeguarding the ideological and physical frontiers of the country”.