Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday declined the invitation to attend the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) December 27 rally.
The PPP commemorates the death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27 at Garhi Khuda Baksh.
JUI-F senior leader Maulana Rashid Mahmood confirmed the development and said a five-member delegation of party leaders would attend the rally in place of the JUI chief.
The delegation will include JUI-F Central Secretary-General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Siraj Ahmed Khan, Abdul Razzaq Abid Lakho, Saud Afzal Jalijo and Maulana Abdullah Mehr.
Earlier this week, former president Asif Ali Zardari invited Fazl to attend the December 27 rally. Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz is also expected to attend the rally.
The JUI-F and PPP are allies in the anti-government Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance.
During the PDM's Mardan rally, the JUI-F chief, also the PDM president, said, “We will get rid of this government soon. We have to prepare for the Islamabad long march.”
Fazl, who had announced a PDM long march on Islamabad in February if the government did not resign by January 31, hinted at an “extended sit-in” in the federal capital, saying: “We will not rest until this government is removed from power,” adding: “We have to purge Pakistan “of these people.”
In regards to the Dec 27 rally, a meeting was held earlier to finalise arrangements for the event. The Sindh IGP and divisional and district administration of Larkana directed to ensure foolproof security for the public event.
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