Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman earlier yesterday alleged that, “the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was being run by western non-government organisations and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was working to change the Pakhtun culture.”
He was addressing a party gathering at Jamia Uloom-i-Rahmania, a seminary owned by Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, at Chakdara in the JUI stronghold of Timergara.
He said raids were being made on religious seminaries in order to defame Islam and ulema, adding politicians were being insulted in the name of accountability. “The PTI-led provincial government must stop this practice,” he said.
Mr Rehman accused the US of fanning bloodshed in Muslim states in order to further its interests. He said Islam preached peace, harmony and brotherhood and didn’t’ allow its followers to kill one another.
The Maulana came down hard on media for giving much air time to the PTI at the cost of other political parties.
The JUI-F chief claimed that a powerful personality had once asked him not to resist the PTI’s way to power corridors, alleging that the PTI had been engaged in spreading vulgarity in society.
He said majority of departments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being run by INGOs.
Mr Rehman said the JUI emerged as the second largest party in the recently held local government polls in the province and that the party would also win the next general elections. He asked the party workers to create unity in their ranks and convey the party message to citizens.
Meanwhile, speaking at a news conference at the Chakdara Press Club minutes after the Maulana’s address, local party leaders alleged that the party had been hijacked by some vested interests in the district . They said the JUI-F provincial chief Maulana Gul Naseeb had abandoned efforts to end rifts in the party.
They said they hoped that Mr Rehman would persuade the disgruntled leaders to return to the party, but he left the district without even talking about the issue. They complained that party’s founder members were not invited to the meeting.
FREE MEDICAL CAMP: The Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), an organisation being run by overseas Pakistanis, on Saturday set up free medical camp for children with disability at the category-D hospital, Talash, under its ‘children with disability programme’ (CWDP).
A total of 55 special children were checked up by physicians and were also provided free laboratory tests and X-rays.
Timergara tehsil nazim Riaz Mohammad visited the camp and appreciated the role of HHRD for welfare of special children.
The CWDP district officer Mohammad Bilal told reporters that 200 special children from different union councils of Lower Dir were being helped by the programme, run by overseas Pakistanis staying in the US.