Govt spares baton-wielding JUI-F workers.

PESHAWAR -- Information minister Shaukat Yousafzai on Friday said the government had opted not to act against the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl's baton-wielding workers to prevent further political unrest in the country.

'There is a consensus of opinion that nothing should be done that gives the main impetus to their [opposition] protest. The government does not want to do anything, which will increase chaos in the country,' he told a news conference here.

The minister said the government had constituted a committee headed by defence minister Pervez Khattak to hold talks with the JUI-F and other opposition parties to prevent the Oct 31 march on Islamabad.

Mr Yousafzai said the Khattak committee was in contact with the opposition parties and it had got 'positive signals from all sides except the JUI-F'.

He said he was unable to comprehend the JUI-F chief's political moves and that he was hell bent on sending the entire democratic system packing.

The minister said though the PTI government was not opposed to any protest, no one would be allowed to take the law into their hands.

Accusing Mr Fazl of playing the 'others' game', he said the JUI-F should stop dreaming about the ouster of the PTI government.

'We came to power for five years and still have four years to stay put,' he said.

The minister said the JUI-F chief had grown disillusioned after his election defeat, so he was trying to create political chaos through street protests with the support of those languishing in jail for corruption.

He criticised the JUI-F for staging a protest outside the KP House, Swat, and said some hooligans tried to make a hue and cry in front of the chief minister's residence.

Mr Yousafzai said the ruling PTI had more workers than the JUI-F and if the latter used own activists for violence, then Mr Fazl won't be able to come out of his house.

He, however, said the PTI won't stoop so low. The minister asked the JUI-F not to stoke chaos and said there was not any ban on restriction on any kind of political activity.

He, however...