LARKANA: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, asserted on Tuesday that former prime minister Imran Khan’s politics had hit the dead end and he was no longer part of Pakistani politics.

The Maulana, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said at a press conference in Madressah Ishaatul Quran here that Imran Khan was making the appointment of chief of army staff controversial despite the fact that it was clearly laid down in the Constitution that who would appoint the COAS.

He wondered why the federal government was soft on Imran who had attacked all state institutions including army, judiciary, parliament and Election Commission of Pakistan. He was pleased only if they favoured him, otherwise, he branded them as traitors, the Maulana said.

He said that Imran Khan had developed a habit of calling everyone thief though it had been proved that he himself was an ‘international’ and ‘imported’ thief.

He had raised a new slogan of ‘true independence’ and was trying to influence people with his deceptive narrative, said the Maulana and reiterated that Imran was an agent. The man who did not tire of talking about independence went to IMF and mortgaged the state bank, he said, adding that Punjab government was ‘weak’ and vulnerable to upsets.

The Maulana said that Sindh had been the worst-hit by unprecedented rains and flood. There was water all around and no one knew when the calamity-hit people would return to their homes. “It is a national tragedy and national disaster which demands national level of assistance,” he said.

He called the situation challenging and said that he would talk to the government after completing his tour of Sindh on how best to tackle the situation.

About the transgender bill, he said categorically that it was against Islamic injunctions. His party’s team and experts had studied the bill’s contents and found the amendments incomplete. “Our team is busy preparing a draft which will be tabled in the assembly soon. No law that is against the spirit of Quran and Sunnah will be allowed to be passed as the parliament has no right to pass any bill that runs counter to the Quran and Sunnah,” he said.

He said in his answer to a question about his party’s negotiations with Balochistan Awami Party leadership over the possibility of joining Balochistan government that the talks were in progress but it was premature to comment on their result.

Asked if his party would agree to be the part of the government minus Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf he replied in the affirmative.

Earlier, the Maulana distributed relief goods and cash among rain and flood victims and assured them of more assistance in the days ahead.

Later, the Maulana took an aerial view of the rain-hit areas in Larkana, Dadu, Mehar, Nasirabad, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Qubo Saeed Khan, Garhi Khairo, Jacobabad, Thull, Shikarpur and Sukkur. He was accompanied by Sindh Minister Jam Ikramullah Dharejo, Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro, Tarique Khan Baloch and Maulana Nasir Mehmood Soomro.

‘Even IMF supports Imran’

The Maulana said that international agencies like International Monetary Fund (IMF) were also supporting Imran Khan whose government had weakened national economy beyond repair, our Sukkur correspondent adds.

He told media persons at Madani Madressah in Shikarpur a day before that IMF had squeezed Pakistan with tough conditions and dictated the government on the issues of madressahs, education, governance, bureaucracy and establishment.

He said that at a time when flood had devastated most part of the country a party was busy holding processions almost daily and slinging mud at others. Its leader was promising his listeners of ‘true independence’, nobody comprehended what he wanted to say and the people those who danced and jumped before him were foolish, he said.

The ground in Islamabad had become hot and ‘Youthias’ would come to their senses when their feet touched it, he warned.

He said that when the present government was in the process of strengthening the economy, the calamity of rain and flood hit the country.

The PDM had come to power hardly four months ago and it would take time to stabilise the country after serious damage caused by the previous government, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2022