Photo courtesy National Assembly of Pakistan
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday called on the leaders of the parties comprising the government to step down and join his party in protesting against the results of the Feb. 8 general elections.
Addressing Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, who is currently the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, he said they should leave the government and approach the general public in a mass protest movement. His own party, he said, would organize a “million march” in Karachi on May 2 and again in Peshawar on May 9. He warned the government against creating any hurdles to the JUIF’s demonstrations, claiming it would trigger backlash. Describing the prevailing governance system as “unacceptable,” he said the JUIF was ready to start a public movement against it.
During his speech, the JUIF chief said if people had voted for the PTI then it should be allowed to rule. He similarly defended the opposition party’s right to assembly, saying it was a constitutional right and they should face no hurdles in holding public gatherings.
“Neither the bureaucracy nor establishment has a role in the creation of the country,” he said, maintaining Pakistan was created through democratic struggle and sacrifices. He lamented that the sacrifices of the past had failed to yield any political or economic stability. “Is this a Parliament of representatives of the nation or a setup arranged by the establishment?” he questioned. “How our conscience is satisfied [after the general elections], as the losers are upset, and even the winners are not satisfied?” he continued, lamenting that democracy was weakened by politicians compromising on their principles in a bid to secure power. In this manner, he regretted, Parliament had lost its supremacy and was unable to even pass laws independently.
In the same vein, he slammed “full and partial” martial laws for shaking the democratic foundations of the country by ousting elected governments. He urged the PMLN to recall how it was witness to a law not passing despite being tabled in the assembly with consensus.
The JUIF chief, who was previously the head of the Pakistan Democratic Movement that ousted then-prime minister Imran Khan through a vote of no-confidence, said his party had objected to the 2018 general elections for the same reason it had rejected the 2024 polls, as they were “fraudulent” and had brought the country to a “standstill.” He also lamented that his party was denied the chance to campaign ahead of the Feb. 8 polls due to the poor law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.