LARKANA: Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI), Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that the existing unrest and whatever is happening in the country have roots in the ‘stolen’ elections of Feb 8, 2024, and that is why the situation is getting tense.

Talking to journalists at Jamia Islamia Ishatul Quran Wal Hadith here on Wednesday, he claimed that the JUI-F had always followed moderate politics and stood by it.

“We have to decide in clear terms that the establishment and institutions should have to distance themselves from the election process, which would satisfy the people,” he said.

He said that when the election results and public opinion did not tally, it would definitely lead to what he called unrest among the masses. Vehemently condemning the recent violent incidents, he said his party had always advocated the right of political parties to hold public meetings.

He said the activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) were insisting on reaching D-Chowk, but in the same breath posed a question that how they reached there where violence erupted and precious lives of jawans and political workers were lost. That was Pakistan’s blood, he said.

He urged running the country constitutionally and holding transparent elections that he believed would bring about both political and economic stability in the country.

Flanked by Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro, general secretary of the JUI-F Sindh, and other provincial leadership, Mau-lana Fazl responding to a question said there was no government in the KP and Balochistan at any level. Referring to the violent incidents and bloodshed, he said it happened due to non-serious attitude of the rulers. How amidst such situation problems would be resolved, he asked.

He said the JUI-F made efforts to achieve peace in the KP, but unfortunately violent incidents erupted. Talking about the 26th Amendment, he said the rulers wanted to settle it in nine hours, but “we insisted on presenting the draft first and it (the government) agreed”.

“We took the PTI on board and through negotiations within a month’s time 26th Amendment was finalised after removing many articles from it,” he said.

“When we can arrive at a solution with the element of parleys, we can solve other issues too. We support talks and if they (without mentioning any one) need our support and cooperation, we are ready for it”, as according to him talks would unfold different paths to resolve the issues.

He said that the PTI wanted to see its founder out of jail while the rulers were adamant on keeping him behind the bars that would terminate into what he called ‘anarchy’.

It was the quality of the leadership which showed workers a peaceful path, he said. Answering a question regarding the proposals of digging out six new canals from River Indus and amending the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) Act and the reaction to it, he said the JUI-F advocated the provincial autonomy as the provinces had their right on their resources first.

He said the issues should be settled between the Centre and provinces through consensus and no any provinces should be compelled to choose the path of protest.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2024