JUI-F free to make alliance with anyone: PM

ISLAMABAD Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani assured Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief that the Government would fulfil all the promises made with it, however, Maulana Fazlur Rehman put the condition of quick materialisation of promises for continuity of the alliance. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday morning along with a bunch of Ministers went to the residence of JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at the Ministers Colony. The PM held detailed one-on-one meeting with him to bring him round and to assure him that the Government would honour all the promises made with JUI-F. To keep a close liaison with the coalition partners, the Prime Minister also announced holding of regular meetings with the heads of coalition partners on monthly basis. Responding to media persons questions along with JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman after the meeting, the Premier Gilani has said that JUI-F is an independent party and is free to enter into alliance with any party and the Government has no objections to it. To another question, he said that JUI-F was in alliance with Government and some its reservations regarding the working of the coalition Government and some other related matters were discussed during the meeting. To a question, Maulana Fazlur Rehamn said that his party had not issued any dissenting note on the budget and added that it had played its role as an independent political party. He said that the Prime Minister had assured that JUI-F would be taken into confidence on decisions to be taken on important matters. To a question about the reconciliatory posture of the Prime Minister, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that like all democracy-loving forces he really valued the reconciliation policy of Prime Minister Gilani. Earlier, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had a one-on-one meeting spanning well over two hours with JUI-F Chief Moulana Fazlur Rehman and discussed with him matters relating to the functioning of the coalition Government, war on terror, overall political situation in the country and the grievances of JUI-F. Sources in both parties informed TheNation that Prime Minister Gilani had, once again, held out assurance to Maulana Fazlur Rehman that all the promises made with them would be fully honoured but JUI-F chief wanted quick and visible actions in this regard. Maulana Fazlur Rehman made it clear to the Premier that they were kept on promises for past so many months and now his party leadership was not ready to stay in this state of indecision on part of the Government and he was under tremendous pressure from his party leadership. He asked Prime Minister Gilani to come up with visible steps regarding the fulfilment of the promises made with their party only then it would be possible for them to remain a part of the Government. The JUI-F chief urged the Prime Minister to implement recommendation of JUI-F on Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and review policy on war on terror while issues regarding arrests of workers of JUI-F in Kala Dhaka Operation also discussed. Federal Information and Broadcast Information, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Water and Power, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Naveed Qamar accompanied the Premier during the visit.

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