Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa asked him not to call Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman ‘diesel’. The PM added that he then told the COAS that this is what the people also call Fazlur Rehman.
The prime minister has in recent weeks taken various swipes at Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is an active member of the opposition, during his speeches
In an aggressive speech on Wednesday in Karachi, the prime minister mocked Fazlur Rehman, of whom he said “Listen Fazlu — because calling him a maulana (scholar) is a sin”.
In an earlier speech, he said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman did not deserve the title, as Maulana referred to educated, honest and pious people.
The JUI-F chief has been closely aligned with Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari of late as the opposition prepared the no-confidence motion against the prime minister, which was submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat on March 8th.
In response, the prime minister has resorted to a series of targeted jabs at members of the opposition, leading PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto to warn the PM of consequences should he continue to threaten his father Asif Ali Zardari and his party.
