Maulana Fazlur Rehman (C), leader of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said stabilising the economy is more important than holding elections. (Image: AFP)
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the PDM, said the PDM is no more effective as a political platform, creating doubts if the coalition will remain together.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman cited severe cold as a reason to not hold polls as mandated by the Pakistan Constitution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and said general polls can wait as stabilising the economy first is important.
Fazlur Rehman is the head of multi-party alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) of which Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are members.
He said all members of the coalition are ready for polls but feel that the betterment of the economy is a priority. Fazlur said that nations who do not have stable economies fail to remain independent. He said his JUI-F has been fighting for elections for over three and a half years.
He then went on to say that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will find it hard to implement the proposed election schedule at the end of January 2024 due to severe cold.
“In January, weather would be harsh in Chitral, Khuzdar, and other parts of KP and Balochistan,” Fazlur Rehman said, according to Dawn.
Rehman also cast doubt on the future of PDM and said that it is an unstable platform. “(PDM has become) ineffective as a political platform,” he said.
He also said the whole system of caretaker government was unsuitable. He, however, put the blame for the economic crisis on Imran Khan.
“I don’t recognise the caretaker government because in this government, ‘caretakers’ are someone else. (I am) completely against the philosophy of the caretaker government,” Fazlur said, without clarifying who the ‘caretakers’ were.
“It is Imran Khan who is responsible for the economic, judicial and governance crises. It is out of the question that Imran, who is a product of a fake and bogus election, will return to power again,” Rehman said.
He further added that if Imran Khan returns then Pakistan would face international isolation as Arab countries would not extend any financial support, the Dawn said in its report.
Rehman said neither he nor his party wished for Imran Khan’s disqualification but said that the former prime minister was disqualified because of his own faults.
“He has been disqualified because of his performance; his disqualification is a direct result of his own rule, governance and policies,” he said.
He said that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif should be warmly welcomed by all if he decides to return to the country.
