Pakistan: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman calls for internal change in PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government

Peshawar [Pakistan], July 13 (ANI): Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday said there should be a "change" in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, adding that it would be preferable if the change came from within the ruling party, Dawn reported.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, the JUI-F chief said, "My advice would be that there should be a change in the province but if the PTI is in the majority, then the change should be from within the majority of the PTI. If the same people come together to bring a change in the provincial government, then it will be better," Dawn quoted him as saying.
According to Dawn, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had recently met two key leaders from the province, in what appeared to be an effort to assess the political situation. The PML-N-led federal coalition believes that the PTI government in KP has failed to deliver over the past decade and is increasingly unable to safeguard citizens. Meanwhile, the PTI has warned against any attempts to topple the provincial government, even through constitutional means.
Fazl said he preferred internal change within PTI rather than an effort by the opposition to bring down the government. "The majority of the province was 'fake' and a product of rigging," he said, according to Dawn. However, he added, "It could not tolerate any political struggle or uncertainty, thus it would be better if there was a change from within the ruling PTI."
On the province's security situation, Fazl stated, "The common citizen's life is insecure today," Dawn reported. He added that if opposition parties reached out, the JUI-F would engage with them and may also try to convene an all-party conference to devise a joint strategy.
Speaking on the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fazl said, "We strongly opposed the merger when it was being done," according to Dawn. He criticized the committee formed to bring reforms to ex-Fata for lacking KP representation. "From all the parties, only we have been asked for representatives for the committee, but we haven't given our representatives," he said, adding that the party would consult a grand tribal jirga scheduled for Sunday before making a decision.
Fazl also questioned the government's motives behind revisiting the merger. "Is this decision an admission of the failure of the previous decision (Fata merger) or another ploy to gain access to the minerals of the area?" he asked, Dawn reported.
The JUI-F chief further stated, "If I was content with the federal government's decisions, then I would have joined them. Both the federal and the provincial governments were a result of electoral rigging," Dawn added.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi clarified that the committee on ex-Fata was not intended to reverse the merger. "The committee was formed when the prime minister and Field Marshal [Asim] Munir visited and a jirga was held," he said at a press conference in Peshawar.
Dawn reported that Kundi explained, "The provincial government said that the jirga system that had ended in the merged districts should be revived, and this is what the committee was formed for." (ANI)