Govt to file mutiny case against Fazl over 'provocative' speech.

Byline: Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD -- Adopting an aggressive stance, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government on Saturday warned the Azadi march participants against advancing towards the sensitive D-Chowk and decided to file a mutiny case against Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for delivering a provocative speech and 'instigating people' against the prime minister and state institutions.

At the same time, the government held out an olive branch to the opposition by extending the offer of dialogue and expressing its readiness to revive the Parliamentary Committee that had been constituted last year to deal with the issue of alleged rigging in the 2018 general elections.

Speaking at a news conference with members of the government's negotiating team and after attending a meeting of the core committee of the ruling PTI presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak said they had decided to 'move courts' against the Maulana for 'instigating' the public and asking them to arrest the prime minister.

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JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is spearheading the anti-government Azadi march, while giving a two-day ultimatum to PM Khan at the conclusion of his speech on Friday had said the public could detain the prime minister at his residence and force him to resign.

'Such an announcement is tantamount to instigating the masses and an act of mutiny,' declared Mr Khattak.

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri, former finance minister Asad Umar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Media Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan were also present during the news conference, which was held at a committee room of the Parliament House.

The defence minister said the PTI government was not 'worried at all' over the opposition's Azadi march, but the speeches by opposition leaders 'maligning the national institutions' were unfortunate. He said the speeches against the institutions which gave sacrifices for the country would be tantamount to 'enmity with the country'.

Mr Khattak, who also heads the team constituted by the prime minister to hold talks with the opposition ahead of its Azadi march, categorically stated that PM Khan would in no way tender his resignation.

The government, he said, would not succumb to the opposition's threats...