Any decision to hold talks rests with Rahbar Committee
Staff Reporter
Islamabad
A meeting that was scheduled to take place between Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F Abdul Ghafoor Haideri was cancelled on Sunday.
The meeting was part of government’s efforts to persuade the JUI-F to cancel its plan to hold Azadi March in Islamabad later this month. Ghafoor Haidri told a news channel that he had informed the Senate chairman about the cancellation of the meeting and also told him to first contact with Rahbar Committee, referring to a panel comprising members of PPP, PML-N and other opposition parties.
Sources said the decision to hold talks with the government would be taken by the Rahbar Committee.The sources said Maulana Fazlur Rehman has contacted leaders of the opposition parties to take them into confidence and told them that any decision to hold talks rests with the Rahbar Committee.
The sources said that the reports of talks were creating the impression as if the JUI-F was directly negotiating with the government. They said that the JUI-F has convened a meeting of the Rahbar Committee on October 22 at the residence of Akram Durrani where the final decision would be made.
The government has formed a committee under Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak to hold talks with the government.
Sources further said JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman decided to hand over the decision of talks with the government with Rahbar Committee after talks with opposition leaders.
Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F has decided to hold important meeting on October 24 for consultation on Azadi March. The meeting will be supervised by Fazlur Rehman during which, arrangements regarding anti-government protest will be discussed. The participants will also devise final strategy to lead the protest to the federal capital, Islamabad.
