Pakistan People's Party is making every effort to convince Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman to rejoin the ruling coalition and the latter is said to have expressed willingness to meet the President, sources told Business Recorder, here Saturday.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik telephoned Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman from abroad and delivered President Zardari's message following his (Fazl) aggressive tone in his speech in the National Assembly on Thursday in which he severely lashed out at the PPP-led coalition government and the policies on terror war and termed the rulers as "threat to Shariah."
Malik informed Fazl that President Zardari has taken serious notice of his speech and expressed the desire to meet him (Fazl) as he (President) was ready to remove all his reservations, said the sources, adding that the JUI-F chief, in response said that he was not in favour of derailing the current democratic system and expressed his willingness to meet the President.
The JUI-F parted ways with the ruling coalition in the Centre on December 14 following the removal of the JUI-F Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati for publicly speaking on Haj scam. Since then a number of failed attempts have been made by the ruling party to convince Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman to rejoin the coalition but in vain.
However, the JUI-F chief's Thursday's speech in the National Assembly moved President Zardari to remove the grievances of the Maulana and hence conveyed his message of reconciliation through Malik. Sources said the Interior Minister told JUI-F chief that the government wants to tread the policy of reconciliation and invited him at the presidency for a meeting with the President. While Fazl expressed willingness to meet the President, sources said, adding that the meeting is likely to take place in coming days.