PPP, PML-N failed to convince Fazl over anti-govt protests

ISLAMABAD                -          The Jamiat Ulema-e-Is­lam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is in no mode to trust or take support of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in his second phase of an­ti-government protests.

The JUI-F chief has de­cided to start a new phase of anti-government pro­tests from Karachi on March 23. The sources in JUI-F informed The Na­tion that despite the at­tempts made by the PPP and PML-N to convince the Maulana for another joint protest against the government, JUI-F Chief was in no mode to trust both of them anymore.

The source further re­vealed that Maulana Fazl Rehman has delisted both of the parties from opposition’s formed Re­hbar Committee due to their support for Army Chief Extension Bill and Maulana Fazl had termed them as real supporters of the government side.

It is important to men­tion that PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq, on the direc­tion of party leadership, had called on Fazlur Reh­man in order to convince him to form another joint platform against the in­cumbent government, however, he failed to convince the Maulana.

According to the sourc­es, the PPP senior lead­er Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had also called on Maula­na Fazl Rehman in recent days for the purpose to convince Maulana to stage a joint protest against the government and he also failed to convince him.

According to the sources privy to the JUI-F, all oppo­sition parties were united till last APC and both the big opposition parties had chance to keep the opposi­tion united but they failed to do it and thus their ways were parted.

However, after they failed to reunite the rest of opposition parties the PML-N and PPP has de­cided to launch its pro­test movement against the government’s flawed economic policies with or without the support of other opposition political parties including JUI-F.

On the condition of ano­nymity, a senior leader of JUI-F informed The Nation that the split in the oppo­sition ranks was the ma­jor success of ruling party and this split in opposi­tion was caused due to the support of both these par­ties for the government on COAS extension bill.

On the other hand, sen­ior leaders in PPP are of view that the split in opposition was firstly caused due to the meet­ings of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-Q lead­er Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain during the JUI-F proposed Dharna.

The writer is member of staff and can be reached at @8mansoor_ali

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