Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Saturday accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of undermining national unity by taking 'solo-flight' on blocking the Nato supply passing through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Commenting on PTI's sit-in to stop the Nato supplies in protest against the US drone strikes, JUI-F spokesperson Jan Achakzai alleged that PTI has reduced national security issues to political point-scoring and undermined the national unity by solo act of sit-in protest.
"The symbolic 'dharnas' by individual parties could not be a substitute for national response to sovereignty challenge due to drone attacks," he said, adding that all political parties, federal government and provincial governments should forge a national consensus instead.
The PTI and its coalition partners in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa provincial assembly-Jamaat-i-Islami and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan, decided to block the Nato supply routes through the province from today (Sunday) in protest against the recent drone attack carried out in Thal Tehsil of district Hangu. The decision came following a huge public rally in Peshawar staged by the PTI-led coalition partners in KP, which will hamper the Nato supplies to the US-led Isaf forces stationed in Afghanistan.
"If we really want to send a strong message to the US, Pakistan's political establishment needs united response based on well thought-out policy and no single political party regardless of its mandate and strength in parliament can do so without national unity," the spokesperson said.
He said protest has already been registered by Jamaat-i-Islami and other parties and JUI-F will also register a symbolic protest. "But will that be a strong message to the US on drone strikes.... obviously not," he argued. Ironically, the PTI's own provincial president and speaker provincial assembly was not present nor was its chief minister. "Are they not angry over drone attacks?" He asked. He urged the PTI to focus on improving governance crisis of 'crumbling' Khyber Pakhtunkhawa government.