“This cannot happen that my opponent is in prison and I give statements against him,” he said while addressing the party’s social media workers convention in Peshawar on Saturday. “I want my opponents to also have freedom. I want all the politicians out of jail.”

Last month, Bilawal called for a level playing field for all political parties as the country heads towards general elections that are due in January 2024. A similar concern has been made by the Imran Khan-led party PTI.

But caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi has dispelled the suggestion of bias. He told Reuters on September 14 that his government would assist the commission in providing a level-playing field to all parties.

If someone has been arrested, the JUI-F chief said that then they have to legally prove themselves innocent.

Fazl claimed that there was no peace anywhere in the country. “There are four or five people who are running this country sitting in closed rooms. When I say such things, they say that Maulana wants to postpone the elections,” he said.

The JUI-F was of the view that people’s belief in the system erodes when the economy is weak.

He criticised the caretaker government for expelling Afghan refugees from Pakistan and advised them to think about the neighbouring country. Fazl was of the view that such a decision was affecting ties with Afghanistan, reminding the government that Pashtuns were not illegal immigrants.

The religio-political party leader highlighted the law and order situation in the country while speaking about the elections.

“We are not afraid of elections,” he said and alleged that the western lobby was working against the state.