Says JUI-F to join assemblies despite record vote-rigging n Rejects election results, announces countrywide protests n If establishment believes elections were free and fair that means May 9 narrative buried.

ISLAMABAD  -  Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Wednesday said that his party’s elected members will join as­semblies to play their parliamen­tary role, despite reservations. 

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, he said an election defeat was inflicted on his party under a planning and pressure from international anti-Islam forces. Maulana Fazlur Rehman also invited Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Supremo Nawaz Sharif to join hands with him and sit on the opposition benches. 

He said JUI-F was an ideologi­cal party and also ruled out the possibility of any alliance with political parties saying we are not going to have any alliance with any party. The JUI-F Cen­tral Executive Committee (CEC), which lasted two days, had re­jected poll results, he said.

To a question he said, we were not subordinate to the PML-N and PPP. Speaking about JUI-F’s meet­ing with its capital and provincial bodies, he said the meeting of JUI-F was scheduled for February 22 in Islamabad, followed by in Balo­chistan on February 25.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the JUI-F would hold its meeting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Feb­ruary 27. The party will also hold its meeting in Sindh on March 3 and on March 5 in Lahore, he said.

He also announced to launch a protest campaign against alleged vote rigging for which he asked his workers to get ready for peaceful protests across the country.

“The Parliament has lost its importance and democracy is losing its case. It looks like the decisions will now be taken on the streets and not Parliament,” he said. Rejecting the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) statement in which it declared the polls free and fair, the JUI-F chief said the rigging witnessed during these polls was unprec­edented.

He said the JUI-F wanted an as­sembly that was truly represent­ed by the people, “without the intervention from the establish­ment”. He claimed his party was defeated through “unprecedent­ed poll-rigging.”

“Our fault is that we played our role in mending the relationship between Pakistan and Afghan­istan, and spoke up against Is­raeli atrocities in Gaza and sup­ported Hamas, which is not acceptable to the US.”

He said if the establishment believed the elections were free and fair, then that means the ar­my’s May 9 statement has been buried. Having a considerable representation in the outgoing National Assembly, Maulana was the key player in vote of no-con­fidence against ousted premier Imran Khan and his party re­mained in sixteen months’ long multiparty government. 

He remained a symbol of resis­tance throughout the tenure of Imran Khan as it was his party, which fuelled anti-government movement with its ground lev­el strength. However, JUI is per­turbed with election results be­cause of reduced representation in national as well as provincial assemblies. 

The party was considering it­self as a favourite choice for KPK government where once it ruled during 2002-08 but it could not succeed in the general elections. 

Some of the insiders from cir­cles concerned believe that Mau­lana would eventually join the government but he is playing his cards very carefully and want­ed to get his maximum possible share in the power corridors. 

It is also a test for Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz that how they will bend an old ally in its favour as Maulana had proved himself an iron man during hard times.