ISLAMABAD: Maulana Fazlur Rehman destroyed the government’s best-laid plans by threatening to withdraw from negotiations if the rulers persisted in using coercive tactics to secure the two-thirds majority they require in parliament, defying all attempts to persuade him to support the contentious 26th constitutional amendment.
Following a two-hour meeting at the Maulana’s home in Islamabad, leaders of the JUI-F and PTI issued the ultimatum.
Despite previous media reports and remarks from political figures suggesting that an agreement on the draft amendment was imminent, the Maulana’s sudden change of heart triggered late-night visits by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto, seemingly as an attempt to gain his favor.
