–JUI-F chief says country will turn into battlefield once march is launched, protesting masses will sweep away PTI govt
–Says party has ‘plan B and C’ if govt tries to stop marchers from reaching Islamabad
PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman on Saturday said the anti-government march by his party on Oct 27 will end only with the fall of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
Addressing a press conference, the JUI-F chief said that the entire country would turn into a battlefield once protests were launched against the incumbent government.
The JUI-F chief announced that the first destination of Azadi March will be Islamabad.
He affirmed that the “masses in huge numbers will sweep away the PTI-led government”.
In a comment on the government’s warning to thwart the march at all costs, he said the party has “plan B and C” if the authorities attempted to stop marchers from reaching the federal capital.
“Our strategy will not remain stagnant. We will keep changing it to cope with [any] situation,” he said, adding that a “flood of people from all over the country” was coming to join the march.
“The country’s economy has been destroyed and employment opportunities have been brought to an end. We will become the voice of a common man and Pakistan,” he said.
“Our demand will be to conduct fresh elections. The business community is already protesting owing to taxes and time has come to send the ineligible and illegitimate government packing.”
When asked whether he has been able to garner the support of other opposition parties, he said that he “hoped to see them” in the march.
He added that since all opposition parties agreed that last year’s general elections were “fake” and that reelection should be held, they should all be “on the same page and same stage”.
“Former president Asif Ali Zardari is supporting the Azadi March as there is no disappointment from any side,” he added.
He said that he was not afraid of being arrested, but such a move would “fan the protesters’ anger against the government”.
“The government wants to gain international support by highlighting the madrassa (religious seminaries) issue,” said Fazl, commenting on the remarks made by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Imran, on Friday, had said the JUI-F was protesting because of the madrassa reforms planned by the government after which the clerics “won’t be able to use seminaries students” against the government.
In response to a question about the government’s claim that the JUI-F chief was “using” children studying in seminaries against the government, Fazl alleged that the rulers were trying to deny the students their democratic rights.
Moreover, he claimed, the proportion of seminary students would be minimal, as people from every walk of life were joining the march.
“We have stated our policy. We do not want to clash with institutions and that we want to respect them.”
The JUI-F chief denied that there was any similarity between the sit-ins held by the now-ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s Tahirul Qadri and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s Khadim Rizvi, saying he was leading a march for the “independence” of the public.
He was visibly annoyed when asked if the party was collecting donations for its march and said: “Why wouldn’t we? It is our right; where else will we get money from? Why is there so much noise over this?
“We are not being funded by any Western country. We are asking our workers, friends.”
Fazl also criticised the government’s plan for educational reforms in the country after launching into an anti-Semitic attack against prominent philanthropist George Soros.
He alleged that the government’s “agenda” was to “make Pakistan’s educational system subservient to the West”.
“We know who he [Prime Minister Imran] met in New York,” Rehman said. “[He met] George Soros, who runs an NGO and distributes funds all over the world in the garb of bringing about educational reforms. By meeting that infamous Jew, [the government] has made it clear that they don’t want to bring reforms in religious education. They want to make Pakistan’s educational system subservient to the West.”
Rehman went on to accuse the prime minister of meeting people who “conspire against other countries”.
“They [the government] befriend such conspirators, who are Jewish, and then tell us they want to reform the education system,” he declared.
GOVT ALL SET TO SCUTTLE PROTEST:
On Friday, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah told reporters that the government would not let go anti-government protesters run amok and it would resort to calling in the Pakistan Army if needed.
He said to call in the military would be the last option, “but I hope the situation won’t deteriorate to that level”.
“The government is fully prepared to control any kind of situation and no one will be allowed to take the law into his hand,” the interior minister said, adding that Section 144 will be imposed in Islamabad’s Red Zone and police would be deployed to block its entry points.
However, the primary duty to stop these protesters lies with the provincial governments, the minister said, adding that the provinces must make sure that people do not join the protest rallies.
