Islamabad: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman revealed on Thursday that attempts were made to create differences between his party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The rift between the ruling coalition and the JUI-F leader, who played a key role in toppling former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government in 2022, emerged after the politico-religious party labeled the February 8, 2024 elections as “rigged”.
During his interaction with journalists today, the JUI-F leader said, “An attempt was made to divide the opposition. Political games were played [in the country].” He reiterated his allegations of “fraud elections,” adding that representatives of the “puppet government” could not face the public.
“People do not trust governments that lack a public mandate,” he said.
The JUI-F chief also raised serious questions about the prevailing electoral system in the country.
“People have to stand in queues to cast their votes just for formality. It’s up to their will what they want to bring out from the ballot boxes,” he said, referring to the alleged manipulation in the elections.
“We [JUI-F] will not bow down before power.”
He stated that politicians were being “expelled” from the system, and the role of parliament was being abolished. “Democracy is losing its case,” he added.
Maulana Fazl has repeatedly accused state institutions of manipulating election results to tighten their grip on power. Today, he warned that the situation would worsen if political parties were rendered ineffective. Referring to alleged rigging in the by-elections in Balochistan, he stated that the incumbent government did not respect the decisions of the majority.
In response to a question, the JUI-F leader expressed his support for journalists against the recently introduced amendments to the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act (PECA).
