MURREE:
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has urged people to use their vote carefully in the upcoming general elections while inviting them to review their political opinions and think about the country.
“You have to think about the future of your country. What we need is a strong federal government. We can emerge from crises by formulating long-term policies,” Fazl said while addressing a rally at the popular tourist resort of Murree on Sunday.
The rally was part of the JUI-F campaign for the general elections which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced will be held on February 8, 2024.
Fazl, whose JUI-F was among the political parties that formed a coalition government after ousting the PTI led federal government through a vote of no confidence in April 2022, lambasted former prime minister Imran Khan for allegedly pushing the country to the verge of default.
“I said from day one that Imran Khan is a fitna [mischief] who had been brought into power to ensure the implementation of a foreign agenda,” he said.
Fazl said even before forming a coalition government in the wake of the ouster of Imran Khan, he had stated in huge public rallies that the economy had deteriorated to such a degree that even a new government could not revive it.
“Our government, however, managed to prevent the defaulter of the country during our one-and-a-half-years’ rule. We thwarted Imran’s agenda by working together,” he said.
The JUI-F chief, while eulogizing China as Pakistan’s sincere and trusted friend, accused former prime minister Imran of freezing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which is a part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The Maulana reiterated his claim that the 2018 general elections were heavily rigged in favor of the PTI.
Referring to the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s comment that the PTI chief was Sadiq and Amin—truthful and trustworthy—Fazl prayed that Pakistan may not get another such ‘truthful and trustworthy’ ruler after the upcoming general elections.
He said his party was the first to raise its voice against Imran.
“We had said that such an unjust government was not acceptable to us, and we fought until we knocked down the Imran Khan government,” he said.
Fazl said his party will make the country a truly Islamic welfare state and will ensure the implementation of a system based on the Quran and Sunnah. “We should not have any hope of good until there is a government in the country according to the Quran and Sunnah,” he added.
