JUI-F chief warns of 'chaos' if PTI govt refuses to step down

Fazlur Rehman hints at staging dharna in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE: As the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) ‘Azadi march’ entered Islamabad on Thursday, party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman did not rule out the possibility of staging a sit-in (dharna) in the federal capital to push for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation.

“We will give them [the government] two to three days [to think about it] while sitting in Islamabad,” he said in an interview with a private TV channel.

“There will be chaos in the country if the government doesn’t step down. We will not surrender until their resignation,” he added.

On whether the participants of Azadi march would proceed towards D-Chowk or Constitution Avenue in the federal capital, the JUI-F chief said it was for the people to decide what they would do next.

“The matter is probably out of my hands now,” he added.

After a tiresome four-day journey, the participants of Azadi march reached Islamabad after an overnight stay in Gujar Khan.

However, the rally scheduled at the venue of the protest on Thursday was postponed till Friday (today) as there was confusion in the opposition camp.

Even though Fazl had made it clear before setting off for Islamabad that his prime objective was to dislodge the PTI government, which he claimed had stolen the public’s mandate.

However, he had never disclosed his final plan to achieve this goal. Addressing the participants of the march in Gujar Khan before leaving for Islamabad, the JUI-F chief said there was confusion in the media about the marchers’ next course of action after reaching the federal capital. He clarified that all options were on the table including staging a rally and a sit-in.

He also prayed for the souls of those killed in the Tezgam Express fire earlier in the day. “The government should launch an inquiry into the incident,” he demanded.

Fazl expressed his gratitude to the activists of other political parties, mainly the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for setting up camps to welcome the participants of the march throughout their journey in Punjab.

Security measures

The government has beefed up security with the marchers’ arrival in Islamabad, deploying police and Rangers in federal capital’s Red Zone as well as Faizabad Interchange, Kashmir Highway and other locations.

Islamabad police chief Amir Zulfiqar Khan visited the Red Zone, Faizabad Interchange and other locations to review the security measures. The government has deployed 6,000 personnel of police and Rangers for the security of the protest’s venue in the H-9 area of Islamabad.

Police sources said the law enforcement personnel deployed at the venue had been strictly directed to behave politely with the marchers. However, they have also been told to take strict action if the participants of the march tried to travel to some other area of the city.

All private schools remained closed in Islamabad on Thursday. Attendance at government schools also remained thin.

Public and private universities including the Quaid-e-Azam University also remained shut. However, the government academic institutions will remain open on Friday.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqat told The Express Tribune that public and private educational institutions would remain open on Friday. However, schools and colleges in areas near the venue of the protest including G-10, G-11, H-10, and H-11 would remain closed.

Schools, colleges, and universities in Rawalpindi also remain closed while attendance at government and private offices was extremely low. Several markets in the city also remained shut.

 

(With additional input from Qaiser Sherazi.)