Islamabad: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) has officially announced that it will not form an alliance with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), nor will it join any coalition established at PTI’s behest. The final decision was made during JUI’s two-day General Council meeting held in Lahore, which concluded on Sunday.
The party has decided to continue playing the role of an independent opposition in the parliament, distancing itself from both the government and any PTI-led coalition. JUI emphasized that it will monitor parliamentary affairs independently and determine its stance on PTI-led initiatives on a case-by-case basis.
Sources within JUI revealed that the party will organize an “Israel Murdabad” (Down with Israel) rally at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on April 27, followed by similar events in Peshawar on May 10 and Quetta on May 17.
On the issue of canal digging in Punjab, JUI has decided to support the stance of its Sindh chapter and stated that the central leadership will not adopt a separate policy regarding this matter.
Regarding the Minerals and Mines legislation, JUI reiterated its commitment to protecting the constitutional rights of the provinces.
Political observers note that under the leadership of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, JUI has taken clear and strategic decisions on national matters. Despite repeated requests from PTI, JUI had sought clarifications on certain issues in confidentiality, which remained unanswered for several weeks.
The party expressed that while it was initially willing to support the formation of a broader alliance against the current government, PTI’s simultaneous backchannel negotiations with the establishment aimed to strengthen its bargaining power. JUI believes PTI was attempting to use other political parties as pawns in its negotiations, which led to JUI’s firm decision to maintain independence.
