PHOTO: NNI
PML-Q leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who is a member of the government’s negotiating team, met the Maulana at the latter’s residence for the third time in 36 hours on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Pervaiz said the negotiations were making “progress”. “There are many processes under way at the same time and reaching a breakthrough will require time and patience,” he added.
The PML-Q leader also met the JUI-F chief on Tuesday night.
Pevaiz and his cousin PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain -- also known as the Chaudhry brothers – called on the 66-year-old cleric on Monday night as well after holding telephonic conversations with him.
According to sources, Shujaat and Pervaiz in their meetings with the Maulana have discussed chalking out an agreement in light of the recommendations of both the government’s negotiating team and the joint opposition’s Rahbar Committee. The sources said Fazl had responded positively to the proposal.
According to JUI-F sources, the talks between the government team and the Rahbar Committee have failed to break the deadlock but the Chaudhry brothers might be able to reach an understanding with the Maulana and convince him to end the ‘Azadi March’.
The government has handed over the responsibility of holding direct talks with the Maulana to the Chaudhry brothers.
The government’s negotiating team held a meeting presided over by its head, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, to review the progress made so far in the talks with the opposition. It was decided that the Chaudhry brothers would engage in a dialogue with the JUI-F chief themselves. Therefore, the government team and the Rahbar Committee did not meet for another round of talks. The Chaudhry brothers are in touch with Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Maulana and other stakeholders.
Fazl’s speech
Addressing the mammoth gathering of his ‘Azadi March’ protesters camping on a sprawling ground in Sector H-9 of Islamabad, the Maulana demanded the withdrawal of the presidential reference filed against Supreme Court’s Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
“He [Justice Isa] is a judge whose verdicts are based on justice. The rulers are trying to oust him through reference because his verdicts are against their interests,” he added.
“We announce our support for the lawyers’ protest and demand that the reference against Justice Isa be withdrawn.”
The JUI-F chief said “one-sided justice and accountability” would not be tolerated.
The Maulana also announced that ‘Azadi March’ would be converted into Seerat-e-Tayyaba Conference on 12th Rabiul Awwal.
Speaking on intermittent rains turning weather cold in Islamabad, the cleric appreciated the protesters for braving such harsh conditions.
“If we can survive rain and stormy winds then nothing can stop us from achieving our targets,” he said.
Relief for protesters
Expressing his concerns over the well-being of the protesters because of the weather conditions, PM Imran has tasked the Capital Development Authority chairman to visit the venue of protest and assess what relief and assistance could be provided to them.
However, the JUI-F snubbed the prime minister’s initiative, saying that the protesters could cope with the situation on their own.
“He [prime minister] can keep his relief efforts in his pocket,” JUI-F General Secretary Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri told the media. “Rain is a blessing from God. It is the calamity that we are up against,” he added referring to the PTI government.
Haideri also said the JUI-F in its central executive committee meeting earlier in the day had decided to carry on ‘Azadi March’ until the resignation of the prime minister.
‘False rumours’
Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri, a member of the government’s negotiating team, accused the JUI-F chief of spreading false rumours that the government was amending the constitutional provision about the finality of the prophethood, had sold off Kashmir and was recognising Israel.
“All these allegations are baseless and only politically motivated,” he said at a news conference.
“If the Maulana thinks he can gather 15,000 or 20,000 men in Islamabad and oust a prime minister who has come to power with the votes of 200 million people, he is gravely mistaken,” he added.
The minister further said the JUI-F chief believed in the politics of reconciliation and always kept his options open. “Therefore, the current impasse will break too and some way out of this situation will soon be found.”
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