ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday failed to convince JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl Rehman not to oppose the amendment in Army Chief Extension Bill in the Assembly.

However, the Chaudhry brothers are optimistic about a positive outcome; saying that they will keep trying to convince Maulana Fazl on the matter.

A three-member delegation comprised Chaudhry brothers and provincial minister Hafiz Amar Yasir earlier on Sunday called on JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazl Rehman at his residence here. According to sources, the delegation tried to convince JUI-F chief to support the amendment in Army Chief Extension Bill instead of opposing it.

The sources further said that Maulana stood firm on his earlier stance on the issue. Another source told The Nation that the JUI-F is yet to decide whether to take part in the voting or not in the assembly on the bill.

Later, Fazl told the media that said that their stance was clear and obvious; adding that they had conveyed their decision to the public.

While lashing out at the government, he said that this issue had to be raised and discussed earlier; saying that it was the incumbent government which made this institution and Chief of Army Staff as controversial after the issue was challenged in the Supreme Court.

He said that the issue of army chief extension was not clear before it was challenged in the apex court; saying that it was a decision of the prime minister and the assembly should not be allowed to make such amendments.

While talking about his contact with PML-N, he said that he had contacted the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif on the matter and had asked him for uniting all the opposition parties for having consensus over the issue of Army Chief Extension. He lamented that the opposition was yet to contact him on the issue as he had promised.

Earlier in JUI-F’s Azadi March the Chaudhry brother were believed to have played a very important role in convincing Maulana Fazl Rehman to end the Azadi March.

Meanwhile a delegation of National Party Balochistan and Paklhtoonkhwa Mili Awami Party (PkMAP) also met Maulana Fazl Rehman at his residence in in Islamabad.

On the occasion, both the parties are also in the list who have decided to oppose amendment in the army Chief Extension Bill.