PTI, JUI-F ‘on the verge of alliance’ – M Haris

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), erstwhile rivals in the political arena, seem to be on the brink of burying the hatchet and joining hands against the government, according to sources on Saturday.

Sources revealed that the former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan has given his word to address the concerns of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while a three-member committee has been formed and tasked with ironing out differences between the two parties.

The message from the former prime minister has been relayed to Fazl, and if all goes well, both leaders are poised to sign the alliance agreement, the sources further revealed. 

It is noteworthy that speculations of a potential alliance between these former adversaries, which have long been at loggerheads, have been rife in the media for some time now, especially in the wake of recent general elections.

Allegations of election rigging in the February 8 general elections seem to have brought PTI and JUI-F closer together, surprising many who had not anticipated such a thaw in their relations. Meetings between delegations from both parties have been reported several times.

The newfound camaraderie has even led Maulana Fazl to retract his past statements labelling the PTI founder as a pawn of external forces, citing them as “merely political rhetoric”. 

The reconciliatory tone has also prompted overtures from the PML-N towards Maulana Fazl, although the latter has shown no inclination to relent.

A day earlier, Maulana Ahmad Ali Darwesh, the provincial leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suggested the potential for an alliance with the PTI amid the current political landscape.

Addressing attendees at the launch event for JUI-F’s membership drive at Nowshera Press Club, Maulana Darwesh remarked, “The recent meeting between a PTI delegation and the JUIF chief reflects the fluidity of politics. In this realm, adversaries of yesterday may become allies of today.”