Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazal ur Rehman has described Defence Minister Khawaja Asif as a respected colleague and brother, saying he had only meant to tease him a little. Speaking about a recent exchange with the minister, Fazal ur Rehman said Asif became angry the following day. He also accused the government of misleading the public over its talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Fazal ur Rehman said the anger was misplaced. “An insult remembered a day later is like a punch one should hit oneself with,” he remarked.
Khawaja Asif exchange and the government’s response
The JUI-F chief said Khawaja Asif had not answered his remarks and had instead kept repeating his own statements. Fazal ur Rehman argued that efforts were under way to stir unnecessary bitterness in the country’s political affairs. He stressed that he was a Pakistani citizen and that the government was obliged to respond to his questions and concerns.
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He criticised replies delivered through abuse and fabricated videos, which he said were unacceptable. His party, he added, was showing restraint, but its response would be difficult for the government to handle.
Questioning why those in power grew irritated whenever the government faced scrutiny, he said: “I narrated my concerns, showed them the mirror and exposed the lies, and they took offence.”
PTI talks, proposed meeting and cabinet approval
Turning to negotiations with PTI, Fazal ur Rehman said the party had not made any major demand. It had only sought a meeting with its founder Imran Khan and access to medical treatment for him. He said he made clear that he would not take part in any secret meeting.
According to Fazal ur Rehman, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself suggested a way to resolve the matter. He said he presented his own proposals along with those of PTI and left on a positive note. He added that he had been assured the discussion would be shared with everyone, yet the government was now claiming no talks had taken place.
He also asked how the matter could have received cabinet approval when Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had not presented it to the cabinet. Calling the situation a joke played on the public and political leadership on a large scale, he said politics could not continue on the basis of lies created by the government. He further cited Article 2 of the Constitution, which he said clearly establishes that the country would be run according to the decisions of the people.
