Party chalks out schedule from February 23 to March 2. PHOTO: FILE
After taking stock of its political sway in Peshawar with a massive rally against the provincial government last week, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has issued a schedule for protests at divisional levels across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
This was decided in a party meeting at the JUI-F’s provincial secretariat on Sunday, chaired by JUI-F K-P Vice Amir Maulana Attaur Rehman.
On January 26, the JUI-F had arranged its first show of power in Peshawar since the provincial government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) assumed charge in K-P. It succeeded in gathering thousands of supporters on GT Road. The gathering was a protest against the K-P government for what JUI-F calls the ruling party’s failure to deliver on its election promises.
Sunday’s meeting was attended by members of JUI-F’s general council, including Maulana Mohammad Qasim, Qari Abdullah, Maulana Fazl Ali, Asif Iqbal Daudzai, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, spokesperson Abdul Jalil Jan and others.
At the meeting, Jan said the party’s central leaders were satisfied with the success of the Peshawar gathering and had decided to continue the protest by extending it across the province.
“We will continue to protest against the poor performance of PTI’s government as it has failed to control increasing incidents of kidnapping for ransom, robberies and extortion,” said Jan. A schedule for the protests to be held at divisional levels was also chalked out, beginning from February 23 and concluding on March 2.
According to the schedule, protests would be carried out as follows: DI Khan Division on February 24, Kohat Division on February 25, Mardan Division on February 27, Malakand Division on February 28 and Hazara Division on March 2.
“We have formed two committees to oversee the upcoming protests,” said Jan.
A committee comprising Maulana Attaur Rehman and Qari Abdullah will oversee protests in DI Khan, Kohat, Mardan and Malakand, while another committee comprising Maulana Amanat Shah and Jan will be responsible for managing the protest in Hazara division.
During last Sunday’s rally in Peshawar, the JUI-F leadership had instructed party workers to begin preparations for the upcoming local government (LG) elections in K-P.
The leaders criticised both coalition partners, PTI and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), for failing to control the deteriorating law and order in K-P.
In his address, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded timely LG elections, but at the same time criticised the government’s LG law introduced by PTI, terming it a continuation of former president Pervez Musharraf’s law which had been discarded by the province.
These protests seem to be a tactic of the JUI-F to reach out to people just ahead of the LG polls and also to pressure the PTI-led government, with whom it has been at loggerheads since it assumed charge in K-P.
In addition to the massive rally on January 26, the JUI-F has also entered into an electoral alliance with the Awami National Party and Pakistan Peoples Party for local government polls. However, the tripartite alliance has left the finer points of the partnership to the district chapters to decide.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2014.
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