Islamabad: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Senator Kamran Murtaza has said that the coming weeks will be politically significant, adding that an All-Parties Conference (APC) is under consideration. He also described November as an important month in the political calendar.
Speaking to the media at Parliament, Murtaza urged political parties to take the initiative, saying that their participation could encourage others to come forward. He said Mahmood Khan Achakzai had travelled to Quetta and returned, adding that consultations would follow.
Responding to criticism of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, Murtaza said that disclosing details of alleged irregularities during that period could make it difficult for those involved to defend themselves. He questioned who had served as prime minister at the time, arguing that a prime minister bears collective responsibility for the actions of the cabinet.
He said that if the matter warranted an investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the role of the then prime minister and cabinet should also be examined.
Reacting to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s suggestion that Maulana Fazlur Rehman had made recent statements because he had not received a share in a governorship, Murtaza asked whether any such demand had been made in Asif’s presence.
The JUI-F leader said his party respected the armed forces and did not travel abroad to speak against the country’s institutions. Responding to allegations that the party used religion for financial or political gain, he questioned why former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the current prime minister and President Asif Ali Zardari had visited Fazlur Rehman.
On Kashmir, Murtaza questioned whether people could name the current chairperson of the Kashmir Committee. He said Fazlur Rehman’s efforts had once helped keep the Kashmir cause prominent and referred to calls for freedom being raised in Rawalakot.
Murtaza also warned that those responsible for building prisons could themselves end up behind bars. He alleged that cases against his political camp could be initiated by people aligned with its opponents. He said his party did not seek confrontation but would resist if circumstances forced it to do so.