LAHORE – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that while Punjab enjoys a relatively stable law and order situation, conditions have deteriorated in two other provinces, claiming that there is “practically no government” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Speaking to senior journalists about the country’s political situation in Lahore, Fazlur Rehman said even his family had been targeted because they refused to pay extortion.
“We are also asked for extortion money. My sons and nephews have been attacked because we do not pay,” he said.
The JUI-F chief said he had twice called for an in-camera session of Parliament to discuss the situation, but his demand was not accepted.
He said neither domestic nor foreign investors were currently investing in Pakistan, while trade with Central Asian countries had also been disrupted. Pakistan had previously exported fruits and vegetables to Central Asia, but that trade had now come to a halt, he added.
Fazlur Rehman alleged that Parliament had been formed through electoral rigging and said the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award was proving difficult for the authorities to implement.
He said matters relating to the country’s mineral resources should be discussed publicly, with clear shares defined for the federal government, provinces and the people.
According to Fazlur Rehman, many problems could be resolved by clearly distributing powers among federal, provincial and local governments.
He also said his party had played a role in the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, claiming that it had persuaded the government to withdraw 35 clauses.
He described the development as the outcome of cooperation and consultation between the JUI-F and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), adding that the two parties had formed an alliance in Parliament to pursue a joint strategy.
Fazlur Rehman also acknowledged that he had made a mistake regarding Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
“Whatever my thinking is, that is also Nawaz Sharif’s thinking. The difference is that I am speaking while he is silent,” he said.
