PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali has criticised Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, questioning his political stance and recalling the party’s support for former president Pervez Musharraf’s constitutional measures.
Speaking to the media, Abid Sher Ali said Maulana Fazlur Rehman could explain the reasons behind his anger, adding that he was well aware of the history of the Eighth Amendment.
He said his party had opposed the Legal Framework Order (LFO) and the imposition of emergency but alleged that others had supported Musharraf’s actions.
Abid Sher Ali said Musharraf had brought terrorism and instability to the country. He also questioned the past political arrangements under which, he said, a party with 40 seats was given the opposition leadership and the chairmanship of the Kashmir Committee.
“We do not need political lessons from anyone. We stand with the state and its institutions,” he said.
He warned that there would be no compromise with elements involved in attacks on state institutions. He added that efforts were being made to hold meaningful dialogue on all issues.
The PML-N leader said the country was currently fighting a war against terrorism and that security personnel were sacrificing their lives every day. He said the sacrifices of the martyrs conveyed a clear message of peace and security and called for unity among all sections of society to eliminate terrorism and establish lasting peace.
Referring to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Abid Sher Ali said the JUI-F chief himself could explain whether he was “playing on both sides”.
He also urged people to decide whether they wanted to stand with the nation or alongside terrorists.
Abid Sher Ali on Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s long march
Responding to a journalist’s question about how the government would handle a sit-in or long march by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Abid Sher Ali said the JUI-F chief had organised marches in the past and that his party had welcomed them.
He said a long march was Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s democratic right and that there was no objection to peaceful protest within the constitutional and legal framework.
Abid Sher Ali also rejected the possibility of a political conspiracy against PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, saying no such conspiracy was currently underway against him.
He added that any conspiracy taking place at present was fundamentally against Pakistan.