Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Awami National Party (ANP) announced to boycott election process for constitutional positions in the Senate, national and provincial assemblies, VOS news reported on Thursday.
Raising serious reservations over the 2024 election results, JUI-F Emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman has announced that his party would not participate in forthcoming elections for the top political slots — president, prime minister, and the National Assembly (NA) speaker.
The cleric, speaking to journalists in Islamabad on Thursday, said his politico-religious party would sit in the opposition and its lawmakers would abstain their votes during the upcoming electoral events in the assemblies concerned.
In response to a question regarding JUI-F’s strategy for a protest movement, he said: “Wait for it. We will represent the nation soon.”.
“I haven’t met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz quaid Nawaz Sharif so far. A delegation arrived yesterday which comprises representatives of the PML-N, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).”
Meanwhile, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in a statement said that his party would neither vote for any other party nor field its candidates in elections for the posts of Senate Chairman and Deputy Chairman.
“The ANP would also boycott the elections of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan chief ministers,” he added.
Asfandyar Wali Khan said that ANP wants civilian supremacy and strengthened democracy and the parliament. He said that the major parties have also offered the ANP of main positions in return for votes in the Senate and provincial assemblies.
Asfandyar Wali Khan said that the ANP does not ‘believe’ in politics of power.
“It is our principled position that the mandate should be given real representatives from mandate thieves,” the ANP chief added.
Asfandyar Wali Khan, however, said that the party would decide on further course of action and its role in the parliament through mutual consultation.
