JUI-F, PPP agree to ‘send PTI govt home’

Leaders of both parties say only modalities need to sorted out

ISLAMABAD: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Wednesday agreed on ousting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

“We [the JUI-F and the PPP] both agree on one point and that is to send this government home. This prime minister [Imran Khan] has to go home,” JUI-F’s Akram Durrani, who is the convener of the joint opposition’s Rahbar Committee, told reporters after meeting PPP leaders Nayyar Bukhari and Sherry Rehman.

“We talked about the mechanism to achieve this. Now we will inform our respective leaderships about the discussion we had at the meeting and further consultations will carry on,” he added.

Durrani said he had a “good conversation” with the PPP leaders and both sides exchanged their views on the prevailing political situation.

Bukhari, who was accompanying Durrani during the interaction with the media, said both the PPP and the JUI-F were on the same page that the incumbent “incompetent” rulers must be ousted.

“It’s just about the modalities [of how to proceed with it],” he added.

To a query about convening an all-parties conference, Bukhari said the matter would be discussed between the parties. “However, we [joint opposition] had already presented a charter of demands that was shared with the media and we remain committed to our common objective,” he remarked.

Durrani seconded Bukhari, saying that there were no differences between the opposition parties on the charter of demands.

To a question about PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s announcement that his party would not participate in the JUI-F’s long march, Durrani said both parties in essence were of the same opinion that the present government needed to be ousted. “There’s only a difference of opinion on how this should be achieved and that’s why we are having these talks,” he added.

Earlier this month, Bilawal had said his party would not join the anti-government long march to be led by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, but promised to provide “moral and political support” to it.

Recently, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed told the media that PPP was trying to hide behind excuses in order to avoid participation in the opposition’s proposed long march to Islamabad. He also dismissed the speculations that his party was using the ‘religious card’ to gather support.

The JUI-F leader claimed that the PPP was trying to attempt to seek the support of ‘hidden forces’ which he said was the reason for it refusal to join the protest.

JUI-F chief Fazl told reporters in Lahore that no power could stop him from organising ‘Azadi March’ and he was in contact with the PPP for this purpose.

“The PPP and the PML-N [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz] will be united on the issue of new elections. If I am arrested, I shall lead the march despite being under custody,” he added.

The PML-N and the JUI-F have agreed to immediately convene an all parties conference to finalise the arrangements and fix a date for the anti-government Azadi March after the former’s central executive committee meeting on September 30.