JUI-F applies for formal permission to hold 'Azadi March' in Islamabad's red zone

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) has formally sought permission from the Islamabad administration to hold the much talked "Azadi March" on October 27, at D-Chowk located in the federal capital's red zone.

JUI-F leader Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, through his counsel Kamran Murtaza, submitted an application to the chief commissioner Islamabad seeking permission to hold the march as well as security arrangements for the participants.

"The JUI-F will be holding the Azadi March on October 27, 2019 at D-Chowk, Islamabad, exercising its democratic and Constitutional right under Articles 16 and 17 of the Constitution against the incumbent government," reads the application.

Maulana Fazalur Rehaman had announced one week ago that the party will begin its anti-government "Azadi March" on October 27. The JUI-F chief had said that all opposition parties had rejected the July 25, 2018 elections and had called for fresh elections. "In this regard, the JUI-F and Muttahida Majlise-Amal have carried out 15 'million marches' in the country to raise awareness among the people," he had added.

He had said that participants of a meeting of JUI-F decided that on October 27 - the day celebrated by Kashmiris across the world as Black Day - the party will express complete solidarity with Kashmiris and with those demonstrations, a march on Islamabad will begin.

"This will be an Azadi march. Groups of people from all over the country will embark on this journey which will culminate in Islamabad, where we will send the government packing," he had said. "We are not ones to disperse easily," he warned.

The PPP and PML-N, who along with the JUI-F had been holding neardaily meetings with each other to debate the anti-government action to be taken, have yet to indicate whether they will join the march on Oct 27 or not.

Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Shah repeated that he strongly believes that JUI-F chief Fazalur Rehman will not come to Islamabad for the "Azadi March" on October 27.

"Fazalur Rehman is a big [politician], he remained in politics throughout his life, his father too was a politician. In my opinion, as I say, [...] Maulana Sahib will not come, I do believe this because this is [politically] suicidal," he said. The minister added that the Indian forces had annexed occupied Kashmir on October 27, 1947, and now "the JUI-F wants to hold a sit-in on the same date, reflecting that they are coming to annex Islamabad?

At that time [1947] it was Nehru, they [the JUI-F leadership] would not like to join those ranks".