Khawaja Asif calls Fazlur Rehman NA speech ‘blackmail’
The defence minister told the National Assembly that Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s earlier speech was pressure for a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa coalition role, and said a Tehran meeting did not involve Pakistan’s defence ministry.
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s National Assembly speech a day earlier was ‘blackmailing’ for a share in the KP government.
Fazlur Rehman had asked why defence talks were held in Tehran while Asif remained in Pakistan.
Asif said the Tehran meeting was not linked to Pakistan’s defence arrangements and that his presence was not required.
Asif said he regretted past alliances with Fazlur Rehman and preferred opposition to coalitions that later applied pressure.
Asif noted Fazlur Rehman’s long tenure as National Assembly Kashmir Committee chairman and his role as opposition leader in the Musharraf-era arrangement.