Summary PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari spoke to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, condemning the government’s “political vengeance” against JUI-F and urging it to tolerate opposition criticism.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari spoke by telephone on Sunday with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and criticised the government's treatment of him.
The call comes amid a month of heightened friction between the JUI-F leader and the PML-N-led federal government.
On Sunday, Fazl's party also staged street protests in several cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against what it described as propaganda aimed at the party and its leadership.
A PPP statement said the two leaders discussed the country's political situation. Bilawal, whose party is part of the ruling coalition, condemned what he called the government's actions and political vengeance against the JUI-F.
He said the government should tolerate opposition criticism, stressing that the opposition plays an extremely important role in a democracy and parliamentary system. He urged the government to avoid steps that weaken democracy and Parliament.
Bilawal has lately been pressing for political unity, asking the prime minister to build trust with both the government's allies and the opposition. On Nov 10 he said political parties would have to work together rather than fight each other under such a reset. Days earlier, he had urged the federal government to engage all political and social stakeholders instead of fighting everyone, Fazl included.
Over the past month, Fazl and federal ministers have traded harsh remarks. The exchanges began after Fazl accused the Centre of depriving the provinces of their rights. This followed his decision to join the opposition in criticising the imposition of governor's rule and an emergency in the PTI-ruled province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also accused the Centre of going back on its commitments while he was trying to mediate between the federal and provincial governments.
The Centre has repeatedly justified its decision by pointing to the provincial government's deliberate disengagement from the fight against terrorism. A governor from the PPP now heads the provincial administration.
On Oct 16, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, without naming anyone, claimed that a party head was extremely upset at being denied a role in the new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa setup and the governorship. The next day, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry rebuked Fazl directly. Fazl later clarified that his criticism targeted policies, not state institutions.
The dispute also reached Parliament, where Fazl questioned Asif's absence and Naqvi's presence at a meeting in Tehran of the Makkah pact countries and Iran.
