JUI-F to observe 'Black Day' on poll anniversary

Party again rejects Feb 8 election results

SWABI:

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has intensified its campaign against the outcome of the February 8, 2024 general elections, announcing that the party will observe the election anniversary as Black Day with large-scale demonstrations across the country.

Speaking to journalists in Swabi, JUI-F Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa General Secretary Senator Maulana Ataul Haq Darvesh said the party remains committed to the public declaration made by its chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, in the National Assembly, rejecting the election results as fraudulent and manipulated.

"The government that emerged from the February 8 polls is fake and incompetent," Darvesh asserted. He was especially critical of the political situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, claiming that the province has been under an "imposed" administration for the past 13 years with devastating consequences for the public.

"Law and order has collapsed, extortion has become rampant, corruption is at its peak, unemployment is soaring, and inflation has made life unbearable for ordinary citizens," he said.

Darvesh accused the provincial government of complete failure in addressing even the most basic needs of the people.

To channel public anger into organized action, JUI-F will launch a countrywide protest movement beginning April 12.

The provincial leadership has already scheduled a major public rally in Mardan city, where Maulana Fazlur Rehman is expected to address the gathering and outline the future course of the agitation.

The senator also outlined the party's parliamentary strategy, stating that JUI-F lawmakers will firmly oppose what he described as "un-Islamic legislation" in both the National Assembly and the Senate.

He specifically mentioned proposed laws restricting marriage for individuals below 18 years of age and measures concerning transgender rights, vowing that the party would resist and "rebel" against any legislation it considers contrary to Sharia principles.

On the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, Darvesh reiterated JUI-F's longstanding position on the Kashmir dispute. "Kashmir is Pakistan's jugular vein," he declared. "Jamiat has shared the pain and grief of Kashmiri Muslims throughout its existence.

The spirit of the freedom struggle remains alive in the hearts of the new generation, and the sacrifices of Kashmiri people will never go to waste."

Darvesh's statements reflect growing political tension in the province and signal that JUI-F intends to maintain sustained pressure on both the federal and provincial governments through street mobilization and parliamentary resistance in the coming months.