JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said his party would save the country by running a freedom movement to abolish the “imposed system” and restore “real democracy”. “The country is being run by fake assemblies,” the JUI-F chief claimed while addressing via a video link an organisational meeting of his party held at Mufti Mehmood Centre in Peshawar. Fazl, who claims that general elections held in February this year were rigged, said the JUI-F’s future action plan would be announced in Peshawar on May 9. The JUI-F chief maintained that his party had always played a leading role against election rigging. He added that his father and former party chief Mufti Mehmood had led the movement against polls rigging in 1977, the worst manipulation of elections took place in 2018 and the “same drama” was repeated now in 2024. “Why are those who raised their voice against rigging in the past silent on the manipulation of the elections now?” he asked, apparently referring to his party’s former ally, the PML-N. The JUI-F chief claimed that those who fought for power gained it by poll rigging. He continued that his party would never accept “slavery”, in a veiled reference to the ‘powerful circles’. Fazl warned that those who had kept the JUI-F away from parliament should listen that the party would raise its voice against their oppression in the grounds. He noted that for the last 76 years, the country had been irreparably damaged politically, economically and democratically. The JUF-F chief continued that they had stepped out to save the country and launch a freedom movement to restore true democracy by abolishing the “imposed system”. He said after Quetta and Karachi, a public gathering would be staged in Peshawar on May 9 where the nation would be informed about the conspiracies against the country. He continued that some forces not only trampled the people’s right to vote but held it “hostage”. Fazl said as long as the political parties were not on the same page, the JUI-F would run the freedom movement from its own platform. Fazl pointed out that today Israel and its followers had stepped up their atrocities against the oppressed Muslims of Gaza. “Innocent children, women and the elderly are being targeted [in Gaza].” He added that the JUI-F had always stood with the oppressed Palestinian people and would continue to raise its voice against the atrocities they were being subjected to. He highlighted that India was dreaming of becoming a superpower of the world while Pakistan was struggling to avoid defaulting on its loans. Fazl said the JUI-F was entrusted to them by its elders. He continued that the party’s elders had entrusted them with their freedom movement. “We have to loosen the grip of the forces on the country responsible for its slavery today.”