JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman speaks at a press conference in Karachi. ? Geo News screengrab

KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Friday urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take a firm stand on resignation calls from opposition and not to step down in face of it.

Speaking at a press conference here, the JUI-F chief said how could the ones, who continued to sit in the Parliament despite having resigned, ask others to step down.

"You are teaching morality to the one who is constitutionally your prime minister," he slammed the PM's political opponents, who contended that he has lost moral authority to stay in power.

Fazl said Panamagate was not an issue; rather the economic future of the country was being sabotaged on the pretext of corruption.

"Institutions are being made controversial by giving a perception of confrontation between them," he said, noting that the country can't afford any crisis.

The JUI-F chief related the present political turmoil to a "Great Game" aimed at disrupting China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). "CPEC is a game-changer and the United States and India want to disrupt it. We opposed dharnas to pave way for completion of this project."

He said Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah had been siding with the prime minister to save democracy; he, however, is now siding with the ones from whom he had been protecting democratic system of the country.

Fazl went on to question as to why have not been corruption cases in KP given hype, asking further, "What service are you doing to the country by devastating your province?"