ISLAMABAD: The recently expelled leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) are meeting in Islamabad next week amid reports that a new faction of the party may be launched on the occasion.

As the JUI-F is said to be facing resentment from its senior cadre over the expulsion of Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Gul Naseeb and Maulana Shujaul Mulk, they have reportedly decided to launch their own faction against Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

A member of the JUI-F, requesting not be named, said that the four leaders would meet in Islamabad on Dec 29 and like-minded members of the party were also expected to attend the meeting.

They will announce their future course of action at a press conference after the meeting.

The four leaders of JUI-F were expelled from the party on Friday under a decision by its disciplinary committee.

Expelled leaders meeting in Islamabad next week

Sources in the party said that the group of dissidents was led by former chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology Maulana Sherani, who had been the chief of Balochistan chapter of the JUI-F for about 32 years.

Former senator and former spokesman of the JUI-F Hafiz Hussain also belongs to Balochistan.

Former senator Maulana Gul Naseeb and former MNA Maulana Shuja belong to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Meanwhile, Maulana Shuja, in a statement issued on Saturday, termed the expulsion of senior JUI-F leaders illegal “as proper process had not been adopted”.

He said that Maulana Fazl was trying to pit senior ulema and party leaders against the state institutions just to save himself from corruption cases to be filed by NAB. “If Maulana sahib is clean, he should present his record before NAB and everything would be clear,” Maulana Shuja said and added that just because of notices issued to him by the accountability watchdog, Mau­lana Fazl was asking the party workers to stage sit-ins.

In a statement, Hafiz Hussain said he was removed from his post for rejecting the allegations leveled by Nawaz Sharif against the military leadership, as these were not in line with the JUI-F’s policies. He described the PDM as an “unnatural alliance”.

Meanwhile, another dissident group of the JUI-F, that had parted ways with Maulana Fazl in 2007, criticised both Maulana Fazl and Maulana Sherani at a press conference in the National Press Club.

Maulana Abdul Qadir Luni, naib [deputy] emir of the JUI-Nazaryati, claimed that the four expelled leaders of the party were in touch with his group.

Maulana Luni said that Maulana Fazl was indulging in “hereditary politics” as he had appointed his son parliamentary leader of the JUI-F in the National Assembly and made his brother a senator.

He described Maulana Fazl as a “paid politician” who was struggling only to come to power and was currently playing the “role of a lawyer” to get a NRO for himself and others.

Maulana Luni said the PTI government should complete its tenure.

He said that the PDM was active against the country under a thought-out plan but its leaders were divided to protect their vested interests.

The JUI-N was formed in 2007 after Maulana Asmatullah developed differences with Maulana Fazl over several policy issues.

However, in February 2016, Maulana Fazal convinced Maulana Asmatullah to rejoin the party and consequently its two factions — JUI-Fazl and JUI-Nazaryati — were merged. But a group headed by Maulana Luni opposed the merger and announced that it would continue to oppose JUI-F policies.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2020