\u201cI am and will remain part of opposition,\u201d says JUI-F chief despite govt\u2019s efforts to muster his support in parliament
\n Islamabad
\nAmid government efforts to muster support of its allies and disgruntled partners ahead of potential judiciary-centric legislation, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has stated that he will not support any legislation contradictory to Constitution and remain part of the opposition.
\n\u201cI am and will remain part of the opposition,\u201d the veteran politician said during a meeting with former senator Muhammad Ali Durrani, who called on him at his residence in Islamabad.
\nHis remarks came days after the veteran politician apparently lowered his rhetoric against the coalition government led by the PML-N after months after accusing it of coming to power via rigging in the February 8 elections.
\nAddressing the National Assembly session last week, Fazl had said that they had to accept the present \u201cForm 45 or 47\u201d parliament \u2014 reference to the alleged manipulation in the election results \u2014 and use it to address all the national issues.
\nFazl\u2019s statement received scathing criticism from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who termed it an act of legitimising the current regime amid parliamentary cooperation agreement among the two parties.
\nSources told Geo News that Muhammad Ali Durrani held a lengthy meeting with JUI-F chief at the latter\u2019s residence on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.
\nDuring the meeting, both politicians discussed ongoing political issues and future course of action, the insiders added. Durrani also took Fazl into confidence over his political interactions.
\nSpeaking on the occasion, the JUI-F chief claimed that the incumbent rulers would not be able to gain support for a legislation \u201cthat contradicts the Constitution of Pakistan and democracy.\u201d
\nFurthermore, he said, the government\u2019s existence and its actions were contradictory to the interests of the people. \u201cSupporting such a government is tantamount to make the people angry.\u201d
\n\u201cWe want to come into power only with the votes of the people of Pakistan,\u201d Fazl said, reiterating that they will not allow anyone to steal their mandate once again.
\nDurrani, while responding to JUI-F chief\u2019s remarks, said that he was \u201cstanding on the right side of history\u201d, adding that Maulana has always remained \u201cfaithful\u201d to political traditions and democratic values.
\nThe development came after the incumbent government stepped up its efforts to woo disgruntled ally Fazl as President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate meetings with him and sought to assuage his concerns earlier this month.
\nBefore the 2024 general elections, Fazl was one of the closest allies of the PML-N and the PPP and headed the multi-party opposition alliance \u2014 Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) \u2014 which successfully ousted the former premier Imran Khan from office via a no-confidence motion in 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI am and will remain part of opposition,\u201d says JUI-F chief despite govt\u2019s efforts to muster his support in parliament Islamabad Amid government efforts to muster support of its allies and disgruntled partners ahead of potential judiciary-centric legislation, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has stated that he will not support any legislation contradictory to Constitution […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":403602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-430624","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n