Govt unsuccessful in winning over Fazl

Sept. 18, 2024, 6:56 a.m.

Govt unsuccessful in winning over Fazl

The leaders of two political parties, PML-N and PPP, were planning to meet JUI-F's chief on Monday to seek his support for passing a new constitutional package. However, things didn’t go as planned. The JUI-F chief refused to meet the PML-N delegation, which was supposed to arrive after noon prayers. Instead, he held a meeting with his own party members at 3 PM.

When a PML-N leader, Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, arrived later, he was told the meeting was already going on. He explained to the media that he wasn’t there for negotiations, just as a friend of the JUI-F leader. It seemed the government didn’t send a delegation because of the cold reception Ranjha received.

On the other hand, the JUI-F chief had a friendly meeting with a delegation from PPP. After the meeting, PPP leaders explained that they had informed the JUI-F chief that their party was working on a bill and supported creating a constitutional court.

A JUI-F senator, Kamran Murtaza, expressed concerns about certain amendments, saying that they would review the draft from PPP and then make a decision together. The meeting focused on the details and consequences of the proposed changes to the constitution, and there was no discussion about any other demands from JUI-F.

Later that night, other political figures met with the JUI-F chief to offer him a place in both the Balochistan and federal governments, but he didn’t respond to these offers. Instead, he invited two other political figures, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Miftah Ismail, to discuss the constitutional amendments. During the meeting, the JUI-F chief made it clear that his only concern was having a broader debate about the changes to the constitution, and he didn’t seem interested in seeking a position in the government.