\u2018Took Faiz\u2019s name by mistake\u2019
\nJUI-F chief maintains stance that both Bajwa and Faiz were involved in rigging 2018 elections
\nNews Agency
\nIslamabad
\nJamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday \u201cclarified\u201d his statement about former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-director general Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed in which he had accused both of orchestrating the downfall of the PTI government led by Imran Khan in 2022.
\n\u201cI was opposed to the idea of tabling a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan,\u201d the JUI-F chief had said in an interview with a private TV channel while referring to the events unfolded in 2022 as the country saw for the first time in its history the ouster of a prime minister through a no-confidence vote.
\nMaulana Fazl was among top opposition leaders who spearheaded the efforts to oust the PTI founder under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
\nRead more: Fazl interview makes jaw-dropping claims
\nIn a statement issued today, Fazl provided an explanation about his earlier statement, saying that he took Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed\u2019s name by \u201cmistake\u201d.
\nHowever, he maintained his stance on General (retd) Bajwa and Gen (retd) Faiz\u2019s alleged involvement in election rigging during the 2018 elections. \u201cThis matter should be consigned to history instead of being discussed more,\u201d he asserted.
\n\u201cI have told everything and that is enough. We wanted to remove the PTI government through no-confidence motion. PDM, PPP and ANP used to have daily meetings. General Bajwa has had many meetings with me alone,\u201d he added.
\nTalking about the recently-held elections and meeting with the PTI delegation, Fazl said that transparent elections did not take place anywhere including Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. \u201cDespite our differences, PTI delegation came and held a positive meeting. But we emphasised [with them] that rigging did take place in K-P,\u201d he added.
\nHe further said that he will not give priority to personal grudges over national goals. \u201cDifferences are there but they are not at a personal level but rather at the party level,\u201d he concluded.
\nThe clarification from the JUI-F leader follows intense scrutiny and speculation over his initial remarks, which had stirred controversy within Pakistan\u2019s political circles.
\nPPP\u2019s Faisal Karim Kundi said that the JUI-F chief had benefited the most from the no-confidence vote against then-premier Imran Khan. He added that Fazl could have stopped the no-confidence move as he was the head of the PDM.
\nAlso read: \u2018JUI-F not to become part of any govt\u2019
\nReplying to Fazl\u2019s allegation that his party\u2019s mandate was stolen, Kundi said, \u201cIf it was stolen, then who was it given to? To the same delegation who visited him yesterday\u201d.
\nJUI-F chief\u2019s initial remarks caught political analysts off guard, given his reputation as a staunch supporter of the establishment. Some speculate that his comments about Bajwa and Hameed stem from his sheer frustration over his recent defeat in general elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018Took Faiz\u2019s name by mistake\u2019 JUI-F chief maintains stance that both Bajwa and Faiz were involved in rigging 2018 elections News Agency Islamabad Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday \u201cclarified\u201d his statement about former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-director general Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-387535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n