JUI-F keeps PTI alliance option open, rules out new provinces

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has kept the door open for closer political cooperation with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), while making it clear that the party does not support the creation of new provinces under the current circumstances.

Exclusively talking to ARY News, JUI-F representative Engineer Zia-ur-Rehman said opposition parties had, for the first time in nearly two and a half years, begun moving towards a common political platform and a coordinated course of action.



He said the recent meetings were significant because the parties were no longer merely holding discussions but were working towards joint action on issues including peace, law and order, constitutional supremacy and the rule of law.

On the possibility of JUI-F joining PTI’s September 27 movement, Zia-ur-Rehman stopped short of giving a commitment. He said PTI, as the largest parliamentary opposition party, had a responsibility to bring other opposition groups together and improve coordination.

Addressing reports that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been seeking parliamentary seats, government positions or guarantees regarding a future political setup in return for cooperation with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Zia-ur-Rehman rejected the claims.

Zia-ur-Rehman said the statement effectively answered the allegations that had been circulating on social media and among some political commentators.

He acknowledged that there had been conflicting statements from within PTI, with the party’s information secretary reportedly suggesting that Fazlur Rehman had placed several conditions for political cooperation.

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The JUI-F leader also indicated that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) could potentially become part of the emerging opposition arrangement, although the party currently maintains its own political position.

According to him, opposition parties often share similar views and concerns on major national issues, but their lack of coordination has prevented them from pursuing a common political strategy.

He argued that the PPP, PTI and JUI-F shared concerns over proposals to create new administrative units, particularly at a time when Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were facing serious security and political challenges.

He questioned the wisdom of discussing the division of provinces or creation of new administrative units while parts of the country were already facing law-and-order problems.

Zia-ur-Rehman clarified that JUI-F had not opposed the administrative reorganisation of the country in principle. However, he said the present circumstances were not conducive to such a move and questioned whether the current government had sufficient legitimacy to undertake such a major constitutional and administrative initiative.