Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked former ally, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman, to join the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and assist in addressing the country’s political tensions.
Sharif, who heads a coalition government supported by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and other smaller parties, met the 70-year-old JUI-F leader on Thursday at his residence.
During the meeting, Sharif invited Rehman to become part of the ruling coalition and requested his help in tackling the ongoing political issues.
However, a JUI-F spokesperson stated that Maulana Rehman declined the offer, citing that they had received a better proposal before the current government was formed.
Rehman had previously led the opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), against Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
The PDM eventually formed a central government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after Imran Khan was ousted from power.