Peshawar:
The chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, requested a political change in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Saturday, which suggests that such change would be more appropriate if it came from the ranks of Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf (PTI), which currently has a majority in the Provincial Assembly.
Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, the leader of Jui-F said it was irrelevant if the change arose from internal dynamics or external pressure, what mattered, he insisted, was that the change was now imperative.
“If PTI claims to have a majority, then the change must come from the inside,” he said. “It should not seem that the opposition is the engineering of the elimination of the provincial government.”
The Jui-F leader claimed that PTI’s mandate in the province was “artificial” and lacked genuine public support. He stressed that any internal restructuring within PTI would be a preferable path towards political stability.
In the next Senate elections, Fazl said that consultations with other political parties were in their early stages and refused to comment more.
He also distanced himself from the Federal Government, stating: “If I had accepted government decisions, it would have been part of that. When the seats in the assemblies were on sale during the elections, how could I align to such a government?”
Despite the strong criticism, he said that if the government ever faces external aggression or conflict, it would be in national interest. “Even with a thousand complaints, we will stand in a row if war is imposed on the country,” he said.
The Chief of Jui-F expressed his deep concern for the deterioration of the situation of the law and order in KP, warning that the province could no longer afford political and security instability.
“The common citizen no longer feels safe. People doubt before leaving their homes,” he said, asking for a conference from all parties to address the security crisis. He said that JUI-F would be open to dialogue with other opposition parties on this issue.
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When commenting on his own last term, he said that peace prevailed during his government. “There were no control points and people moved freely. The parties may disagree, but there is no enmity among us,” he said.
Reiterating its old opposition to the fusion of the old tribal areas administered by the Federal Government (Fata) in KP, criticized all political parties so it called a hurried decision. “Everyone jumped to that current, but we kept warning that it was not right. Now we must accept that it was a mistake,” he said.
He argued that reversing the merger would be of national interest and questioned why the extension of judicial and administrative systems to the region had not materialized.
The Chief of Jui-F also mentioned that a great tribal jirga was scheduled for tomorrow and expressed respect for the tribal representatives who participated in it.
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When addressing the issue of provincial expenditure, Fazl criticized the KP government for what it described as wasteful expenses. “The funds in our province are used to appoint parliamentary secretaries and finance luxuries. This is a government born of rigging and extortion,” he said.
In response to a question about the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said: “No politician should be in jail, although politicians end there. Our goal should be the progress and prosperity of the country.” He also commented that there was no objection if the children of PTI’s founder came to Pakistan.
The Chief of Jui-F concluded by reiterating that his party would never seek power by antidemocratic means. “Either the federal or provincial government, both are exhausted. We do not want power to grant us the boots, we want the support of the people,” he added.
