Daily Times

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman paid a visit to Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday, in an effort to gain the support of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly for his upcoming sit-in protest under the name of ‘Azadi March’.

Talking to media after the meeting, the JUI-F chief said that the date of the anti-government march in the federal capital Islamabad will be decided soon.

He said that they have arranged 15 million marches successfully and they have the ability to arrange “Azadi March”. “The opposition parties must stick to the Islamabad agreement,” he said.

Furthermore, he claimed that all the political parties will participate in the march, adding that the protestors will remain peaceful in the upcoming demonstration.

He said that the date is yet to be confirmed. It will be revealed after consultation with the opposition parties. The JUI-F leader said that they [opposition] will not give any NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] to the Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The JUI-F chief accused the government of selling occupied Kashmir and said that the country is facing issues of rising inflation, unemployment and unrest, adding that the people belonging to every sector and class are suffering.

“The ruling PTI government is illegal and incapable,” he regarded the disposition of PTI government important for country’s interest.

Notably, he refrained from commenting on Sheikh Rasheed.

He further clarified that the purpose of going to Islamabad is not intended to clash with any institution, adding that the march would be peaceful.

Opposition responds

However, the opposition leadership is completely divided over the plan to lock down the federal capital as the major political party’s chief, Pakistan People’s Party,  Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had announced September 11 that PPP will not join the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JIU-F) upcoming anti-government march in Islamabad.

“I will be touring the country as [JUI-F chief] Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be in Islamabad,” he told the media. However, he said, his party would continue extending moral and political support to the JUI-F chief on the issues he raises.

He further maintained that PPP is ready to endure all sort of oppression but would never give up its democratic approach. “The PPP is a party of ideological principles and will never back down from its standpoint,” he said.

On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) stalwart Ahsan Iqbal had announced September 26, that his political party was set to march alongside Fazlur Rehman in his bid to lock down Islamabad as a protest against the incumbent government.