PTI should be allowed to hold long march: Fazl

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, during a meeting with a delegation of Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz Ainey-e-Pakistan, stressed the need for dialogue between the government and opposition and said the PTI should be allowed to exercise its right to hold a long march.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja also said that negotiations had temporarily failed but there would be other opportunities for dialogue. Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and former NA Speaker Asad Qaiser met Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence and invited him to participate in the All Parties Conference (APC).

Later, talking to newsmen, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said a long march was a democratic right and PTI should be allowed to exercise that right. “When political parties announce that they will remain peaceful, they should be trusted,” he said. He said the political situation in the country was suffering from an imbalance. The JUI-F chief said he wanted the country to move towards the path of political moderation and called for broader consultations among political parties.

“We were not a part of the negotiations, but in principle, we do not oppose the process of dialogue,” he said. He observed that if the forces operating behind the scenes became part of the negotiations, it would be possible to reach a conclusion through dialogue.

Fazl said he had been invited to an All Parties Conference (APC). “We have told the opposition to consider this matter in detail, while we will also consult our party. A joint agenda should emerge through consultation among all political parties at the APC,”

he said.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said there was no disagreement on the basic principles. He said negotiations had temporarily failed but there would be other opportunities and a solution would emerge through dialogue.

Senate Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas said, “Politicians demonstrate collective wisdom and find a way forward. We are calling for the preparation of a joint agenda for the entire country. When there is no political process, extremism increases.”

He said Fazlur Rehman did not consider governor’s rule or an emergency to be a solution to the problem.