Party emir says he does not consider current parliament to be a true representative of the nation
- Party lawmakers will abstain from elections for president and prime minister.
- Fazl confirms “a pleasant conversation” with the multi-party delegation.
- Political-religious party that will sit in opposition to play a parliamentary role.
Emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), raising serious reservations over the results of the 2024 elections, has announced that his party will not participate in the upcoming elections for top political posts: President , prime minister and prime minister. President of the National Assembly (AN).
The cleric, speaking to journalists in Islamabad on Thursday, said his religious-political party would sit in opposition and its lawmakers would abstain from voting during upcoming election events in the assemblies concerned.
Responding to a question about JUI-F's strategy for a protest movement, he said: “Wait for it. We will represent the nation soon.”
“So far I have not met Quaid Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. A delegation comprising representatives of PML-N, Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) arrived yesterday.”
“We had a pleasant conversation because we were already very frank with them,” the senior politician responded to another question about the dialogues with the main parties that formed a strong coalition to govern the country.
However, he clarified once again that the JUI-F would not participate in any matter of the said parliament that was not controlled by true representatives of the nation. He added that his party does not consider the current parliament a true representative of the nation after the February 8 national elections.
The Fazl-led party had played a vital role in managing a political movement against the former ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and its supremo led the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) multi-party alliance for the Successful ousting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022 through parliamentary vote.
While the results of the 2024 elections generated criticism from different political parties, the political-religious party also made accusations of manipulation.
The JUI-F, which won five seats in the National Assembly (NA) and 18 in the provincial assembly (PA), collectively, in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), announced that it will stay away from being an ally of a new coalition led by Nawaz. -Party led in the Center and provinces, but decided to play its parliamentary role as an opposition.
