Fazl upset over media blackout of his speech
ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl-ur-rehman protested over what he called media blackout of his speech at the opposition’s multiparty conference by the host, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The PPP as the host and chief organiser of the gathering had made special arrangements for telecasting the opening speeches of the opposition leaders through live streaming on social media websites for which links had been provided to the journalists and TV channels before the start of the moot.
Special arrangements were made to telecast the speeches, particularly of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari, ater the government issued warnings to the TV channels that “legal action” would be taken against those which aired the speech of Sharif.
However, ater live telecast of the speeches of Sharif and Zardari, the organisers also allowed live streaming of the addresses of PPP Chairman Bilawal and Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PMLN) President Shahbaz Sharif but the broadcast was abruptly stopped when the floor was given to Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
The angry Rehman said besides the government, the PPP and the organisers had also blacked out his speech.
He said his party wanted to register a formal protest with the PPP and the organisers of the conference.
The PPP leaders tried to pacify Rehman and PPP’S vice-president Sherry Rehman immediately approached him and told him that it was upon his party’s request that they had not aired his speech live as his party had requested to hold the proceedings of the conference in-camera.
He, however, without even looking at Sherry said they had made no such request.
Later, the PPP and the PML-N leaders compensated the JUI-F chief by allowing him to read out the joint declaration during the press briefing ater the conference.
On Sunday, Sharif who is in London, broke his silence and said “the state above the state” and “parallel government,” which is the root-cause of all problems Pakistan is facing, can’t be tolerated.
Addressing the opposition’s conference via video link, he said former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani once pointed to “a state within a state” in Pakistan. “It is saddening that the situation has escalated to a state above the state. This parallel government illness is the root-cause of our problems.”