As the ongoing general election controversy overshadows the early conduct of the February 8 polls, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the Senate’s resolution to postpone the election process represented his party’s stand.
An independent lawmaker in the upper house of parliament on Friday proposed a resolution calling for the postponement of the election in view of the extreme weather and security situation in the country, which was accepted by a majority of the 14 senators present in the legislature.
“The sky will not fall if the polls are postponed to improve the [security] situation,” Fazl said while speaking ahead of his visit to Afghanistan on Sunday, as the senior politician continues to express concern over the security situation in the country. country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.
The JUI-F chief went to Kabul on the invitation of the Taliban-led interim administration in the neighboring country.
The visit comes at a time when relations between the two countries have soured over a surge in terrorist incidents in Pakistan, mostly claimed by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The JUI-F chief has proved time and again that the situation in the country is not conducive to holding polls as his party has been attacked at least three times in the last six months for being in the crosshairs of banned outfits. years.
The latest was a firing attack on a JUI-F convoy in Dera Ismail Khan, but fortunately he remained unharmed as he was not there.
Controversy over postponing the election – after several postponements next month – arose after the Senate passed a resolution seeking to postpone the polls.
However, on Saturday, a new resolution was tabled in the upper chamber to hold the February 8 election as scheduled, and the Supreme Court was also invited to open contempt proceedings against senators involved in the decision-making process in the Senate for delays in the elections.
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On the proposal to postpone the elections, Fazl said in an interview that the Senate resolution supported the JUI-F’s stand on terrorism threats.
However, he stated that he had no prior information about the resolution.
The JUI-F supremo was of the view that no significant electoral alliance has emerged yet. The former PDM boss added that he had allowed his party leaders to go ahead with seat adjustments in their respective constituencies.
“Environment Unsuitable for Surveys”
He said the situation is not in line with polls and election campaigns in KP and Balochistan, which were the worst affected by terrorist attacks in 2023.
“People are being threatened through leaflets warning them against attending JUI-F rallies,” the veteran politician said, urging the relevant stakeholders to realize the “seriousness” of the situation.
Fazl also claimed that he had received threats against attending specific rallies that he could no longer attend political rallies.
He said his party wants elections but also a suitable environment for them. According to him, the security situation should be secure enough for a political party to reach voters.
Fazl expressed hope for some improvement in conditions in the country. He further added that his party will participate in the elections if the polls “are forced on us anyway”.
“We are not the ones running from elections,” he said, adding, “I believe in talks and mediation, but a comprehensive strategy can only be moved by looking at the ground reality for talks with the TTP.”
Asked about the level playing field, Politico said it was a new term that was used for one party.
“Yesterday and today it was the same blue-eyed boy, he is supported,” he said without naming anyone.
In 2023, Pakistan remained a hotbed of terrorism and violence amid internal political conflicts, socio-economic disparities, regional instability and rising tensions with militant groups operating in border areas adjacent to Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Fazl has continuously expressed serious concern over the peace and security situation in the country following successive attacks on his side.
Last September, senior JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah was injured in a blast – which injured 10 others – in Balochistan’s Mastung area, while in July 2023, at least 40 JUI-F workers were killed in a suicide blast targeting the party. labor convention at Bajaur’s Khar.
Unlike the JUI-F, almost all major political parties rejected the resolution to postpone the elections and stressed that the general elections must be held on the appointed day.
