Fazl accuses Centre of reneging on commitments

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has accused the government of reneging on its commitments after seeking his mediation with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Both sides had held separate meetings with Fazl ahead of political tensions that led to the imposition of emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where the PTI held power.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Fazl detailed his engagements with both the government and opposition leaders, stating that he returned from Umrah on Oct 7, after which opposition leaders approached him to mediate the political impasse. Federal ministers also visited him and sought his intervention. Fazl claimed that the PTI's march to Islamabad had avoided entering the capital at his request, and the government's plan to impose emergency was deferred after its delegation approached him.

He proposed a course of action that included ending the long march and allowing PTI leaders to meet Imran Khan in jail, but both sides insisted the other should take the first step. Fazl visited the Prime Minister House and informed the government that the PTI was ready to end the march if its demands were met, including allowing Imran Khan to receive medical treatment.

However, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar informed him that the government still intended to impose emergency due to security concerns in KP, despite Balochistan's worse security situation. Fazl denounced the government's decision as an "attack on democracy and the rights of the people" and vowed to challenge it through democratic and constitutional forums, including Parliament and the courts.