Fazl | Pakistan

The interim Afghan Taliban regime’s interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, on Sunday extended his gratitude to all organisations and actors extending goodwill and good intentions to Afghanistan, including the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F). The comments, delivered during an event in Kabul, come after JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on December 23, criticised Islamabad for striking terrorist targets in Afghanistan and Iran and for deporting Afghan refugees. “There comes a point when refugees become a problem, but you come together to resolve it; you don’t expel people who have been living in your country for 40 years,” he said, calling on Pakistan and Afghanistan to maintain friendly relations. A declaration from Dec 23 stated that tension “is not in the interest of either country and will only benefit anti-Islamic forces”, urging Kabul and Islamabad to resolve their issues through dialogue. Haqqani referred to the conference on Dec 23, noting that Fazl and religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani “expressed ...

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday said that Pakistan had moved past “bitter memories” and urged the forging of a new future with Bangladesh amid the recent warming of ties between the two countries. Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government in August last year, there has been a thaw in ties between Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. Fazl is currently on a visit to the country and called for stron­ger ties, telling a large religious gathering that a shared “unity of faith was a stronger bond between the two nations that cannot be abolished”. Addressing a gathering of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam members today at Dhaka’s Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre as the chief guest with several other Bengali political parties in attendance, Fazl said: “Pakistan wants Bangladesh’s prosperity and stability, has forgotten the bitter memories of the past.” He reiterated that the people of Pakista...

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Friday that his party would oppose any proposed amendment that seeks to reduce the powers granted to the provinces under the 18th Amendment. A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held consultations with ruling allies to secure support for the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment, with the government expected to table the bill in the Senate within days. “The provinces have a constitutional right to an increased NFC (National Finance Commission) award, not a reduced one,” he said, warning that if provincial rights were stripped, the JUI-F would “strongly oppose it.” Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Fazl said his party had agreed on certain points in principle, but would only comment further once a draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment was presented. Commenting on proposed changes to Article 243, he said the matter must be viewed in two ways: “If it is used to affect democracy, the Constitution or politics, we will not accept it. But if it is purely...

ISLAMABAD - A government delegation called on Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence yesterday to discuss the evolving political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday questioned the government’s writ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal areas as various political parties set their demands in a declaration at the Awami National Party-organised multiparty conference (MPC) in Islamabad. The ANP organised the conference, which was attended by representatives from the PPP, JI, MQM, JUI-F and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), among other parties Speaking at the conference, Fazl said: “No doubt there is a question mark on the government’s writ [in KP’s tribal areas].” He added that the tribal areas of the province are in the grip of armed groups, as people have to pay extortion money to them. “Armed groups take 10 per cent of the officially approved funds,” he claimed. He also questioned why there was a need to restore the jirga system after seven years of the merger of tribal areas with KP. The multiparty conference also saw speeches by ANP central president Senator Aimal Wali Khan, National Democratic Mo...

The federal government has decided to deploy Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel outside the residence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan city due to security concerns, it emerged on Tuesday. In a letter dated June 29 to the FC commandant in Peshawar, the interior ministry issued orders to deploy “one platoon” of FC personnel at the residence of the JUI-F chief “to avoid any untoward situation”. The decision has been taken on the prime minister’s directives for security purposes and recent incidents involving the JUI-F’s chief son, Asjad Mahmood. Earlier last month, Mahmood’s vehicle was intercepted on the main highway by armed men when he was on his way from DI Khan to Lakki Marwat. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently visited Fazl’s residence in Islamabad and expressed concern over the alleged attack and attempted kidnapping of the JUI-F chief’s son, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. The prime minister expressed deep concern over the assault...

ISLAMABAD - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman yesterday said that India was creating a regional crisis by threatening war.