Islamabad:
Pakistan's leading right-wing Islamist leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday expressed support for his former rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, saying the opposition party has the right to hold rallies and even form a government.
Rehman, the head of his faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), gave a blistering speech in the National Assembly, criticizing the powerful establishment for allegedly manipulating the political system.
“It is the right of the PTI to hold a meeting,” he said. “We also objected to the 2018 elections and we also object to this (February 8 polls). If the 2018 poll was rigged, why isn't the current one rigged?” he asked.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser had claimed the party's right to organize a rally. “Asad Qaiser's demand is right and it is PTI's right to hold a meeting,” Rehman said in his speech.
Rehman urged the ruling coalition of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the Pakistan People's Party to allow the PTI to form the government if it had a majority in parliament.
'Leave this power. Come sit here [on the opposition benches]and if the PTI is indeed the bigger group, then give them the government,” he said.
The cleric then expressed his dissatisfaction with the role of the establishment and bureaucracy in the elections and governance of the country.
“The establishment and bureaucracy played no role in making this country a reality,” he said.
He claimed that the February 8 elections were not fair but flawed.
“What kind of election is this where the losers are unhappy and the winners are upset?” he said.
He drew parallels with neighboring country India. “Compare India with ourselves… both countries became independent on the same day. But today they (India) dream of becoming a superpower and we beg to avoid bankruptcy,” he said.
As India🇮🇳 moves closer to becoming a global superpower, Pakistan🇵🇰 begs the world to save the country from destruction.
[Pakistan’s Parliament] pic.twitter.com/i3ZNA3kQaN
— kanishka Dadhich 🇮🇳 (@KanishkaDadhich) April 29, 2024
He said decisions are made by someone else, but politicians are blamed for the problems.
Rehman also lamented the inability to implement the recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), stressing the importance of upholding Islamic principles.
“We were given the land in the name of Islam, but today we have become a secular state. Not a single CII recommendation has been implemented since 1973. How can we be an Islamic country?” he said.
The CCI is a constitutional body established to help Islamize the laws.
He also said that Pakistan was pleading with the International Monetary Fund to avoid bankruptcy.
— Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman (@MoulanaOfficial) April 29, 2024
The JUI-F was PTI's arch-rival and had spearheaded the ouster of Imran Khan. After his fall, JUI-F became part of the coalition government. However, after the elections, he parted ways with the PML-N and the PPP, alleging that the polls were rigged to keep his party out of power.
Many believe that by supporting the PTI, the cleric is putting pressure on the establishment and the government to strike a deal to get a bigger share in the spoils of politics than he potentially has.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)