ISLAMABAD: The leader of an ongoing anti-government protest, religious party chief Fazl-ur-Rehman, said on Monday there was nothing wrong if jailed leaders Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari benefitted from an ongoing sit-in to put pressure on the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and force him to step down.
Huge crowds descended on Islamabad from various parts of the country last month, denouncing Khan’s government as illegitimate and calling for him to resign. It is the first concerted challenge that the cricket star-turned-politician has faced since he won a general election last year promising to end corruption and create jobs for the poor.
Khan has dismissed the calls to resign and his government — which the opposition says won power after a fraudulent election with the support of the military — has denounced the protests as a threat to democracy. The military denies favoring any party, saying it supports the constitution.
“We are striving to benefit 220 million people [of Pakistan],” Rehman told Arab News in an interview when asked if his protest movement had put pressure on the government and played a role in jailed former PM Sharif receiving bail and permission from the government to travel abroad for medical treatment.
“Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari are also among them. If they benefit [from our protests], what’s the harm in that?“
Three-time PM Sharif, 69, was released on bail last month from a seven-year sentence for corruption after repeated medical issues.
Sharif, who has dominated Pakistani politics for three decades, denies the corruption charges, claiming they are politically motivated. Zardari, the co-chairperson of another major opposition party, is also in prison over corruption charges.
Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, left, during an exclusive interview with Arab News at his residence in Islamabad on Nov. 11, 2019. (AN photo)
Rehman’s comments that his protests could benefit the jailed leaders are almost certain to cause a stir and add fuel to reports that Sharif may have been granted relief by a government feeling increasingly cornered by tens of thousands of opposition supporters from across Pakistan who have remained camped out in Islamabad, showing no sign of giving up despite the onset of winter rains.
The protesters are occupying a large open area alongside one of Islamabad’s main roads.
“Today you are witnessing this protest and freedom march at one place, but now there will probably be the same scenes in all provinces of the country,” Rehman said. “There is very little time left (in announcing out next step), it is a matter of two to four days.”
He added: “I want to tell the world that we want to move on a tougher front, our party wings are deliberating on this. It (our protest) will get even harder, the pressure will increase.
Rehman said that his marchers had shown a lot of discipline by staying put despite lowering temperatures and rain.
“We have shown discipline (during the march),” he said. “If the country is handed over to us, we will run it in a better way than these people,” he added, referring to Khan’s government.
When asked how the organizers of the protest were funding it, Rehman provided no details, saying only that God was helping the movement “even beyond our expectations.”
