JUI-F to hold own protests, not with Imran Khan's party: Senator Kamran Murtaza

Islamabad [Pakistan], September 2 (ANI): Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Kamran Murtaza said that his party might protest on issues of its choosing but will not participate in any protests orchestrated by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) despite multiple meetings between the senior leadership of the two parties, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.
On August 23, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders visited JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his home, stressing that both parties had decided to cooperate on an "issue to issue and agenda to agenda" basis. Later, the leaders of two parties held a meeting again.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari met the JUI-F chief, who had announced a "solo flight" against the government, according to Dawn report.
Zardari met Maulana Fazlur Rehman after the JUI-F chief reportedly agreed with Imran Khan's party to have a joint strategy to give a tough time to the government.
Shehbaz Sharif visited JUI-F chief on Friday to gather support and call on him not to participate in any agitation campaign against the government.
Some political experts stressed that the meeting was a significant move, connecting it with the upcoming National Assembly and Senate sessions, while others believe that the president might have attempted to stop Maulana Fazlur Rehman from announcing any agitation against the government and might have made some "offers" to him in return, according to Dawn report.
In his remarks on DawnNewsTV programme Doosra Rukh, Senator Kamran Murtaza said that the meetings with Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari were "social" in nature.
He said, "There were political conversations definitely, but you could call this more of a social meet than a political one."
Regarding the talks between leaders of PTI and JUI-F, Murtaza said that the JUI-F during the meeting clarified the extent to which they would stand with them.
Murtaza confirmed that Senator Shibli Faraz, Lawyer Gohar Khan and Pakistan's former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser attended the meeting, according to the report.
He said, "We have told them some things with clarity as to how far we would go with them and to what end we would not."
Kamran Murtaza said that "the party (JUI-F) would protest on the streets on their issues but, for the time being, they won't be party to another party's protest." (ANI)