Fazl attempts to woo Shehbaz for Islamabad march

Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman met on Sunday with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif in an attempt to woo him for participation in the JUI-F's Islamabad march. Fazl earlier this week announced that his party would organise an “Azadi March” in Islamabad somewhere between October 16 and October 31. The JUI-F chief met Shehbaz at his residence in Lahore. PML-N leaders Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Tanveer, Ahsan Iqbal and Marriyum Aurangzeb, and JUI-F's Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Hyderi were also in presence at the meeting that lasted for two hours. During the meeting, Fazl apprised the PML-N president of preparations for the march against the government. Related: Shehbaz meets Nawaz, exchanges views on JUI-F’s Islamabad march According to sources, the JUI-F chief sought PML-N's complete backing for the march, demanding participation of its workers from every district in Punjab. However, the sources said, the PML-N president requested Fazl to give them time until September 30 to make a decision on whether to participate in the march. Shehbaz told Fazl that if the PML-N central executive committee decided to participate in the march, then the party would bring its members from all across the country, according to sources. An announcement pertaining to the party's participation in the march and a lockdown would be made after the CEC's decision, Shehbaz was quoted as saying. Later, the JUI-F chief and the PML-N leaders returned without speaking to the media. Follow SAMAA English on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.