JUI-F chief won’t be able to exploit ‘religious card’: PM – Newspaper

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that the head of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, could not exploit the "religious card" against the government at the behest of the Popular Party of Pakistan (PPP) and the Muslim League of Pakistan (PML-N).

Speaking with a select group of leaders from Pakistan's Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) who are frequently seen on television shows, the prime minister expressed no fear of the JUI-F's call at the end of Islamabad on the 27th of October.

"The prime minister was of the opinion that PPP and PML-N pretend that they are not participating in the closure program, but in fact both sides are supporting it." [Maulana Fazl] and provide him with money to meet his own designs, "said an assistant close to Prime Minister Khan Dawn after the conference.

Imran promises to revive Steel Mills and turn it into a profitable entity

According to him, the prime minister lamented that Maulana Fazl was using innocent Madressahs children (seminars) against the government, but he [JUI-F chief] He should realize that after the victory of the government's position on the Kashmir issue at the session of the recently held General Assembly of the United Nations, the "religious card" could not explode.

The assistant prime minister quoted Mr. Khan as saying: "The government believes that the seminary students are our own children, but they are being deceived by people like Fazlur Rehman."

According to him, the prime minister said that the PPP and the PML-N would not directly join the closing movement because if it failed, they would not be blamed, but the JUI-F. He said the meeting agreed that Maulana Fazl had received a large amount of money from PPP and PML-N to fulfill his anti-government agendas.

Speaking about the news of a possible agreement between the government and the opposition, the prime minister reiterated that no concession would be granted to those who had looted the national wealth. "Khan Sahib will never seek any agreement with former rulers," said the assistant prime minister.

The prime minister reported on the meeting of his next visit to China from October 7 to 8, which will mainly focus on the revival of stalled projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Steel Mills Renaissance

By blaming former rulers for what he called the destruction of Pakistan's Steel Mills (PSM), Prime Minister Khan promised to revive the country's largest industrial unit and turn it into a profitable entity.

In chairing a meeting on the PSM, the prime minister said that the main companies in China and Russia had shown their interest in the revival of the factory and that several options were being considered. "Different options are being considered for the revival of Steel Mills," he said.

Khan said the PSM had become a responsibility for the government due to ignorance and neglect of previous regimes. "It is a cruelty on the part of previous rulers that Steel Mills has become a burden on the national treasure," he added.

"It is the top priority of the government to revive Pakistan Steel Mills so that it can become a profitable entity and play its effective role in the country's progress," he said.

Posted on Dawn, October 5, 2019