Senate election participation bid to dispose 'incompetent' candidates, says Fazl

Jamiat Ulema-e Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that the reason behind the opposition parties' participation in the upcoming Senate elections is so that they can stop ‘incompetent candidates’ from filling the upper house of parliament.

Fazl had earlier announced that opposition lawmakers would step down from all legislative assemblies of the country in a bid to break the Senate electoral college to stop it from taking place.

However, speaking to the media in Peshawar on Saturday, he clarified that the opposition’s movement is against the PTI-led government and not against the establishment. "However, the PDM alliance wants the establishment to stop meddling in political affairs," he added.

Fazl said if opposition parties did not take part in the Senate elections “then it [Senate] would be filled by the incompetent people”.

He said the next government will abolish the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and warned its officials to stay within the limits of the law and refrain from developing personal animosity with opposition leaders.

"The country has suffered a huge loss due to the government’s mishandling of Broadsheet scandal and Transparency International’s recent report has exposed the corruption of the incumbent rulers," he added.