Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has announced a "united opposition" following his meeting with National Assembly opposition leader and Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and other leaders.
The development came a day after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key coalition partner in the centre, and opposition parties had agreed to cooperate on legislative matters in parliament. The JUI-F chief, along with a delegation comprising Kamran Murtaza and Maulana Abdul Wasay, held an important meeting with TTAP chief Achakzai, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s Asad Qaiser and Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai in the chamber of the opposition leader.
Speaking to journalists outside Parliament House after the meeting, Fazl said: "JUI-F and TTAP have agreed to form a joint opposition." The JUI-F chief called his meeting with the opposition leader positive, adding that they principally agreed to move towards a united opposition. "We want to play a joint parliamentary role," said the JUI-F chief, noting that further consultations on the move will continue.
When asked if he would add the PPP to the joint opposition, he said that the Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led party is part of the government. Earlier, talking to journalists, the JUI-F chief said that if it were up to him, the ailing PTI founder would have been treated.
Reports emerged earlier this month that the PTI had initiated contacts with the JUI-F to explore the possibility of launching a joint movement against the federal government. Sources privy to the matter said that PTI leaders met with senior JUI-F leadership and proposed a coordinated protest campaign, while discussions also covered formulating a joint strategy for future political moves.