Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has announced that his party will not be a part of dialogue with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to evolve consensus on election date.
The announcement was made following an emergency meeting of the party as the government and opposition kicked off talks in Senate over the date of elections.
“We will not be a part of the negotiations, even in the Senate. We stand by our position,” Fazl said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday.
He said that his party has taken a position that the matter should be handled by the Election Commission of Pakistan, which should exercise its powers.
“I do not believe that sitting with PTI will lead to a solution. I want to bring to the court’s attention that they have not yet recognised him [Imran Khan],” he added.
He said that the Supreme Court’s decision to hold the elections on May 14 is not enforceable, and they should correct it themselves, adding that the polls have always been held on a single day in Pakistan throughout its history.
The JUI-F chief said that the party that wins in Punjab will also come to power at the Centre. He said that the Supreme Court says they have nothing to do with the negotiation but also takes a hard stance by staying with their decision regarding polls on May 14.
However, he added that at Thursday’s hearing, the court’s demeanour seemed changed.
Expressing concerns about the accuracy of the census, Fazl said that he has advised the government that the digital method is incorrect, saying that the constituencies will be based on the census results so they must be double-checked.
