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ISLAMABAD: Demons\u00adtrating a flexibility that is quite unlike with its traditional stance, a delegation of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday paid a visit to the residence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.<\/p>\n While leaders of both the parties termed it a \u201cnon-political event\u201d, saying that the PTI delegation \u2014 led by former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser \u2014 had only come to condole with Maulana Fazl over the death of his mother-in-law, political analysts and experts are declaring it a \u201csignificant development\u201d against the backdrop of the bitter rivalry between the two parties in the past.<\/p>\n Both the Maulana and PTI Chairman Imran Khan are known to be \u201cbitter political rivals\u201d and not only the members of the two parties, but also their heads had been seen launching personal attacks against each other.<\/p>\n The \u201ccondolence meeting\u201d, according to sources, lasted for more than an hour and the PTI delegation members even offered Maghrib prayers led by the Maulana himself.<\/p>\n Besides Mr Qaiser, the PTI delegation included former minister in Imran Khan\u2019s cabinet Ali Mohammad Khan, former MNA Junaid Akbar and ex-senator Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif.<\/p>\n Talking to Dawn<\/em>, Barrister Saif stated that the sole purpose of the visit was to offer condolences over the death of Maulana Fazl\u2019s mother-in-law and not any political motive.<\/p>\n However, he added, whenever politicians met, they discussed \u201cpolitical situation\u201d.<\/p>\n Stating that it was the first \u201cformal contact\u201d between the two parties, he said the JUI-F chief had already decl\u00adared that the treatment being meted out to PTI chairman Imran Khan was \u201cinappropriate\u201d and that they expressed gratitude to the Maulana over his remarks.<\/p>\n He said both sides agreed that elections in the country should be held on time and in a free, fair and transparent manner and that all political parties should have a level playing field.<\/p>\n He said the matter of the expulsion of the unregistered Afghan refugees from the country also came under discussion during the meeting.<\/p>\n Barrister Saif did not rule out the possibility of more meetings between the two parties in future.<\/p>\n Responding to a question, he said they visited the JUI-F chief in line with a decision taken by the PTI\u2019s core committee in a recent meeting.<\/p>\n He further said that the delegation had undertaken the visit with the formal approval of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.<\/p>\n