\u201cMy suggestion has been made \u2014 there should be a change in the province,\u201d says JUI-F chief
\n PESHAWAR
\nJamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Friday that if there is to be a change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it should emerge from within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
\n\u201cMy suggestion has been made \u2014 there should be a change in the province,\u201d he said at a press conference in Peshawar.
\nHe added that JUI-F would make decisions regarding the province only after party consultation, noting that the province cannot afford further political instability.
\nCommenting on the Senate, Fazl said it was too early to offer remarks on any possible adjustments.
\nFollowing the Supreme Court\u2019s June 27 verdict \u2014 which ruled that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is ineligible for reserved seats \u2014 the opposition alliance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is now just 20 members short of forming a simple majority in the provincial assembly.
\nA meeting between KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on July 2 further fueled rumours that the federal government may be considering the ouster of KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
\nHowever, senior PML-N leaders Khawaja Asif and Rana Sanaullah have publicly dismissed the possibility of a no-confidence motion against Gandapur.
\nMeanwhile, KP Governor Kundi did not rule out the option entirely. Speaking to Geo News, he stated: \u201cWe are not plotting against the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the day we have even one more member in the assembly, it will be our democratic right to move a no-confidence motion.\u201d
\nOn the political front, he said JUI-F has differences with PPP, PML-N and ANP, but not hostility. \u201cThere is no enmity between PTI and JUI either,\u201d he said, adding that there had been a bitter chapter in their relationship in the past.
\nAddressing the law and order situation, Fazl stated that if the opposition reached out regarding the matter, he would be willing to sit and hold talks.
\nFATA merger \u2018mistake
\nRegarding the former FATA\u2019s merger with KP, he termed it a mistake.
\n\u201cAll parties must accept that FATA\u2019s merger was a wrong decision,\u201d he said, adding that the real issue was the political future of the tribal people, not the merger itself.
\nHe said that JUI-F had previously tried to make decisions in consultation with tribal elders. \u201cWe had said no to the merger proposal \u2014 the tribes must be given the right to decide,\u201d he said.
\nFazl announced that a grand jirga of tribal leaders will reconvene tomorrow and that JUI-F will seek further consultation with them. He insisted that the consultation of tribal elders on the FATA matter was unavoidable.
\nHe also questioned the composition of the committee on FATA-related affairs. \u201cHow many Pakhtuns are there in this committee, and how many members are from the province?\u201d he asked. He said the committee had asked JUI-F for a name and recognised the party as a stakeholder.
\nCriticising the misuse of provincial funds, he remarked: \u201cOur province\u2019s money exists only so that perks may be taken.\u201d He also expressed solidarity with oppressed children in KP and Balochistan, saying: \u201cWhenever a child suffers in KP or Balochistan, I consider them my own.\u201d
\nHighlighting governance issues, Fazl noted that even after eight years, no patwari (land revenue official) has been able to go to the FATA region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cMy suggestion has been made \u2014 there should be a change in the province,\u201d says JUI-F chief PESHAWAR Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Friday that if there is to be a change in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it should emerge from within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). \u201cMy suggestion has been made \u2014 there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-489841","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n