Fazl rejects probe panel, wants re-election

JUI-F chief says if the govt is given more time economy will sink further with each passing day

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday rejected the government’s offer of forming a commission to investigate the allegations of rigging in the 2018 general elections, saying that he stays firm on his demand for re-election in the country.

Addressing the participants of the so-called ‘Azadi March’ on its sixth day, Fazl said that he was rejecting the suggestion of forming a commission on rigging.

“One thing is clear, we do not accept this illegitimate government. Only we will decide when to go back,” said Fazl. “Why is there an objection to the sit-in, when they did not object to the 126-day sit-in in 2014? Stop provoking our colleagues. We have shown discipline and patience. Our demands will have to be accepted.”

The JUI-F chief said the future belonged to the supremacy of the people and parliament. “This Azadi March is the harbinger of a revolution. It tells the world that this political vendetta in the name of accountability cannot continue anymore.”

Lashing out at the one-year performance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, Fazl said that the country had been isolated on the external front.

The government even could not build trust with Afghanistan and shook the confidence of China by damaging investment in CPEC projects.

On the economic front, he accused the government of setting new precedence of presenting three budgets in one year. “Economy is going down,” he said. “If more time is given to this government, it [economy] will sink further with each passing day.”

Fazl told the participants that when he was the chairman of the parliamentary Kashmir committee, “nobody could dare harm the Kashmir cause but today they are just crying after selling Kashmir. It was their agenda, what India has done in occupied Kashmir,” he added.

“Why the country is pushed towards this situation?” he asked. “We have no quarrel with anyone but the country must be run on the basis of principles,” he said, adding that if there was tyranny, “we will openly call it tyranny”.

He warned that there would be no justice if this sort of politics continued. “If there is the Constitution and democracy in the country then the supremacy of parliament would have to be accepted. Parliament can only be formed with the votes of the people,” he added.

On his allegations of rigging in the 2018 election, he said that the results were not given to the polling agents, adding that according to the Election Commission reports, the polling agents were removed, while 95% of Form-45 were not provided.

“After the report of the Election Commission, there is no need for an investigation. It has been a year since a parliamentary committee was formed but even one meeting was not held,” Fazl told the march participants. “The rulers have to accept the demand of the masses.”

He said the present government was standing on crutches and when these crutches were removed it would fall flat. About the government’s negotiating team, he said they would come to them and go back. “May the good sense prevail on them to understand what the people want.”