Fazl pulling out of pact with govt: Khattak

Defence minister says govt will not contact Rahbar Committee for two days

ISLAMABAD:  

 

Defence Minister Pervez Khattak on Friday said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was backtracking on the agreement between the government and opposition parties on the ‘Azadi march’.

“The joint opposition’s Rahbar Committee had not mentioned the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” said Khattak, who is the head of the government team formed to negotiate with the opposition parties on the JUI-F rally. His statement came after Fazl gave a deadline of two days to the government to step down.

“We will not contact the Rahbar Committee for two days as per our agreement,” he added.

The defence minister said the government will hold talks with the opposition if required.

“We hope that Maulana will not take any step that will be detrimental to the country,” he added. “If the protesters violate the agreement, the government will take action against them. This is a government, not a joke.”

Khattak further said the whole country was watching as to who was abiding by the agreement and who was violating it.

Khattak earlier spoke with the prime minister on the phone and discussed Fazl’s speech at the JUI-F rally.

PTI leader Asad Umar, who is also a member of the government team, said the permission to stage ‘Azadi march’ was granted keeping in view the judgements of courts and further action would also be decided in line with those verdicts.

Another member of the government team, Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri, said they would try to convince the JUI-F chief and the Rahbar Committee to abide by the agreement.

“We will make efforts to prevent a situation that would become too difficult to handle,” he added.

“If matters are not brought under control within two or three days, we probably won’t be able to do anything about it and the Rahbar Committee will be responsible for that.”

Qadri said the government would try to get in touch with the JUI-F chief through the Rahbar Committee.

“It is unwise to use religious sentiments for political motives,” he said. “Prime Minister Imran Khan did exceptionally well taking up the case of Muslims on international platforms and it does not suit religious scholars to level such allegations against him.”

The minister said the government negotiating committee would hold a meeting with the prime minister on Saturday (today) and make important decisions.