Govt conditionally allows JUI-F to hold ‘Azadi March’

ISLAMABAD: The government has given conditional permission to the opposition to hold ‘Azadi March’ led by Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F in Islamabad.

“Permission for the Azadi March is conditional to the verdicts of the Supreme Court and high court in this regard,” decided the team, constituted to hold talks with the opposition, led by Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak and Prime Minister Imran Khan in a meeting, official sources revealed on Wednesday.

The meeting decided that the permission would be given for the proposed Azadi March, if it was held by remaining within the limits of law and the constitution.

Also Read: PTI MPA prepares himself to tackle Azadi March

It has said that the government fully believed in democratic practices.

The JUI-F chief has said that the Azadi March against the government was a national level movement and every opposition and political parties had agreed to participate in it.

The Azadi March convoys from across the country will leave for Islamabad on October 27 to enter jointly in the federal capital on October 31.

On Oct 9, Maulana Fazl had sought permission from Islamabad’s administration to hold its scheduled ‘Azadi March’ at D-Chowk, which was later accepted.

JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri had filed an application to the chief commissioner Islamabad for permission through his counsel Kamran Murtaza. The protest is planned in the federal capital’s red zone.

The request even asked the administration to ensure the “necessary security arrangement” for the march.

On Oct 22, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said his party officials were aiding Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Azadi March.

“PPP has had consistent stance of playing democratic and peaceful role, so we are exposing the government at every forum,” he had responded to a query regarding the PPP deserved to lead the Azadi March.