Fazl says supporters of ‘selected’ govt also culprits

JUI-F chief says if summoned, he would appear before NAB with his entire party

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said even the supporters of the "incompetent and illegitimate" PTI government are also culprits as, according to him, they have a role in creating the problems that the country is facing now.

"This illegitimate and incompetent government came into being through fraud. All opposition parties unanimously believe that the July 2018 general elections were rigged. The incumbent government does not have the right to stay in office,” Fazl said on Monday while addressing the JUI-F workers in Tank.

Fazl, who is also the head of an 11-party opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), claimed that the government is running a smear campaign against him and the questionnaire  sent to him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is part of the attempt to discredit him.

The JUI-F chief described the NAB questionnaire as an attack on his entire party – the JUI-F – and warned the top accountability watchdog that if he was summoned for questioning, he would show up with his entire party. "JUI-F doesn't accept pressure, rather we exert pressure," he added.

The Maulana claimed that the PTI government is weakening state institutions and is actually pulling the roots of this country. Criticizing the government for its failures, he said during the PTI’s rule the overall annual growth rate has fallen below zero.

"The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) says the country's growth has never fallen to such an extent. The country is facing huge internal and external problems," Fazl added.

Despite being the president of the PDM, the JUI-F chief on Sunday did not attend a PDM rally in Larkana, held to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the PPP slain leader Benazir Bhutto. 

Fazl’s party is also facing a crisis due to an internal rift between the JUI-F chief and some senior party leaders. The crisis came to a head on Friday when the JUI-F expelled four of these members for “creating a party within the party.”