DIR LOWER - Terming Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief an immature politician, Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, Ameer JUI-F Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Friday said that Imran Khan was playing into the hands of establishment. “The PTI chief wants to derail the democratic set-up in the country via his ‘undemocratic’ long march,” he stated this in an exclusive interview with The Nation at his residence in Chakdara, Dir Lower.
Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan said that both the establishment and the US always used people like Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri against the political government in the country. “Neither the US nor our (Pakistani) establishment want to see political stability in Pakistan; whenever a political system tried to establish itself in the country, martial law was imposed and people like Imran Khan and Qadri were instrumental in fulfilling their dreams,” he said and added the long march was not Imran Khan’s own decision and if he was a political figure then he should adopt democratic means for fulfilling his demands.
“We are against the long march as these are dangerous to democratic systems. Serious people in the form of parliamentarians are existed and it will be better to make them understand the issues but contrary to this, the cricketer turned politician believes in street politics. Parliament is the most powerful institution where one should present his/her agenda instead of taking to the streets,” he said this while commenting on the planned long march.  The PTI chief has warned that his party workers (with one hundred thousand motorcyclists and one million masses) would head towards Islamabad on August 14 to ‘end monarchy’ of Sharifs and vowed not to return until the formation of ‘new Pakistan’.
The JUI-F and other major political parties believe in democracy and they want the government to complete its tenure. “I can say that JUI-F, ANP, PPP, JUI-F, PML-N and all other nationalist parties believe in democracy and they are united on one point that the democratic system should be intact. The government should complete its tenure,” he added.
According to Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, Imran Khan has no legal or moral grounds to go on a long march. He is unclear about his own stance. He is talking about recounting of votes in four constituencies of the National Assembly due to alleged rigging but Khan Sahib never bothered to have the same practice in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where his party is ruling. “If he is serious about electoral reforms and the transparency of elections then he should also investigate rigging in KP. The KP government is based on fraud, there are numerous cases of rigging but Imran Khan has turned a blind eye over fraud in elections in KP where his party is in power,” he added.
The JUI-F provincial ameer also charged that the long march is a ploy to divert the attention of the masses from the poor performance of the PTI government in KP.  “People in KP voted for PTI for its slogan of change but the provincial government has failed badly to deliver to masses. Everyone asks where ‘the change and Tsunami’ are and the long march is the easiest way to divert attention from the key issues,” he added.
The JUI-F is in coalition with PML-N in the centre while both the parties sit in the opposition in the provincial assembly of KP. However, both the parties could form a coalition government in the province if they get the support of some small political parties and independent members. “If they (PTI) tried to misuse the assembly then we will have to fight a war for the survival of the House. We can launch a movement to topple the provincial government,” he warned.