The JUIF Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has questioned the legitimacy of the government and has announced to be head-on-head with the government and the military establishment. Now what choices are left for PML-N to respond to is something that the PML-N can better explain, but it looks like it would be difficult for the PML-N to drive long when Maulana has announced to be on the roads till the revival of the system.
The chief of JUIF and a hard-core ally of the PMLN’s former coalition government Maulana Fazlur Rehman yesterday in his speech in the National Assembly strongly criticized the political system of Pakistan and the alleged role of the military establishment in making and breaking of the governments in Pakistan.
Asking whether the Speaker of the House himself was satisfied with the 2024 general election results, he said that the creation of Pakistan has no role of military establishment and bureaucracy rather it came into existence with the overwhelming popular support of the Muslims of the subcontinent. Maulana demanded a complete look into the country’s current situation and questioned “Is this a parliament of people’s representatives or a setup put in place by the military establishment.” He pointed out where the Pakistani nation stands after 75 years compared with India. “The people’s representatives are being questioned today whether is this the people’s parliament or the one appointed by the military establishment.” Adding more he said “When the establishment would be said “no,” Pakistan was created through a democratic struggle and sacrifices but it stood nowhere in terms of political and economic stability.”
He suggested that PTI should be given to the government and also backed PTI’s demand to organize public gatherings, terming it as its constitutional right. He went on to say that democracy in Pakistan was weakened after politicians compromised with the military for personal gains and interests. He also criticized the way martial laws governed Pakistan. He pointed out how the role of the Council of the Islamic Ideology was curtailed even though Pakistan was established on the principles of Islam. He questioned that when elections with almost the same ratio of seats were called as comprised and rigged in 2018 then how elections with the same ratio in 2024 can be called legitimate? He termed election 2024 fraudulent alleging that politicians sold out democracy and have brought the country to a standstill.
He alleged that his party leaders were stopped from election campaigns over false threatening letters pointing toward deteriorated law and order situation in his party’s stronghold areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Baluchistan. He questioned if terrorists earlier were wiped out then how they came in again. He criticized the role of America in the killing of more than 34000 Gazans and its support of Israel.
Besides criticizing and questioning much more from the perspective of history and the current ongoing situation about the alleged engineering of 2024 election results, and advised the PMLN to leave the government and go in public. He said, if people had voted for the PTI then it should go and rule the country.
He finally announced to organize a million march in Karachi and Peshawar on May 2 and 9, respectively. He warned all to refrain from creating hurdles in the JUI-F’s upcoming power shows and said that his party was ready to start a new public movement against the prevailing governance system which to him is unacceptable.
However, in the context of what Maulana said the PMLN will have to face problems such as how it would justify its position in public by reducing inflation to significant levels. The PMLN’s government couldn’t do so in the past and has faced its results as it could not emerge as a majority party despite Mr. Nawaz Sharif’s presence and political efforts. It will have to justify its legitimacy among the masses and even within the party ranks when some of its leaders are criticizing the legitimacy of the recent elections. How this party will counter Maulana and the other opposition parties now is another challenge.
The situation is predicted even more severe in the days to come for the PMLN concerning facing opposition for its being in the government. Now time will tell whether the PMLN will sustain all pressures or lose.
