ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has rejected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s request to join the coalition government.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday visited the residence of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and discussed the overall political situation with him.

According to a statement of the PM House, the JUI-F chief warmly welcomed the prime minister at his residence.

During the meeting, it added that the two sides discussed overall political situation of the country. “The prime minister expressed best wishes for Maulana Fazlur Rehman,” it added.

The prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Interior Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar.

Sources privy to the development said that the prime minister once again invited the JUI-F chief to join the government which he rejected, politely.

They said that Maulana Fazal also conveyed to the prime minister that decision not to join the government was taken by his party and not by him alone.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024