In anticipation of a potential “political deal” with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, forbade his party members from shouting “diesel” during the Pishin power show on Saturday.
Nothing is impossible in politics, and the JUI-F and PTI are now breaking through their years of personal attacks on one another.
PTI backers, among them party founder Imran Khan, would make fun of JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman by calling him “diesel,” while the religious-political group would brand Khan as a “Western” and “Jewish” spy.
However, following the protests of PTI and JUI-F over the purported manipulation of the general elections scheduled for February 8, ties between the two political rivals quickly improved.
In order to come up with a coordinated plan to combat the supposed rigging, the leaders of the two parties also convened “icebreaker” meetings. They haven’t been able to come to an agreement on starting a coordinated protest movement against the administration, though, thus far.
Speaking at today’s joint opposition gathering in Pishin, Balochistan, Marwat cautioned the attendees not to yell insults at the JUI-F leader, saying, “Don’t raise diesel slogans as talks are underway with them [JUI-F].”
The PTI leader attacked the current administration, claiming that Khan had been imprisoned for the previous eight months due to “illegal” cases. He said, “A campaign of character assassination had been started against the PTI founder and his wife.”
