JUI-F may take the streets itself but won’t participate in PTI’s protest: Senator Kamran Murtaza

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) may take to the streets itself and on issues of its own choosing but will not participate in any protests orchestrated by the PTI despite multiple rendezvous between the parties’ senior leadership, JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza revealed in an interview on Saturday.

On August 23, PTI leaders visited JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence, claiming that both the parties had decided to cooperate on an “issue to issue and agenda to agenda” basis. The two parties’ leaders met again days later.

As tensions rose, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, also took turns visiting the JUI-F chief, who had announced a “solo flight” against the government.

President Zardari called on the JUI-F chief a day after the Maulana reportedly agreed with the PTI to have a joint strategy to give a tough time to the government.

PM Shehbaz also visited him on Friday to garner his support, urging him not to participate in any agitation campaign against the government.

Some political experts consider the meeting to be a significant move, linking it with the upcoming National Assembly and Senate sessions, while others believe that the president might have tried to prevent the Maulana from announcing any agitation against the government and might have made some “offers” to him in return.

While speaking on DawnNewsTV programme Doosra Rukh, Senator Murtaza said that the meetings with the prime minister and the president were “social” in nature.

“There were political conversations definitely, but you could call this more of a social meet than a political one,” Murtaza said.

Regarding the conversations between PTI and JUI-F leaders, Murtaza said that in those sit-fowns JUI-F clarified to the opposition party the extent to which they would stand with them.

The meeting was attended by Senator Shibli Faraz, Lawyer Gohar Khan and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, Murtaza confirmed.

“We have told them some things with clarity as to how far we would go with them and to what end we would not,” Murtaza said.

He said that “the party (JUI-F) would protest on the streets on their issues but, for the time being, they won’t be party to another party’s protest.”