Fazl has contacts in MI6, says minister

Published December 12, 2020
Minister for Information Senator Shibli Faraz and Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday. — PID
Minister for Information Senator Shibli Faraz and Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday. — PID

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur while levelling serious charges against Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief told a presser on Friday that Maulana Fazlur Rehman had contacts in British intelligence agency MI6 and was allegedly involved in anti-state activities besides corruption.

Addressing the press conference, which revolved around the convener of the opposition’s Pakistan Demo­cratic Movement (PDM), Mr Gandapur along with federal Minister for Information Senator Shibli Faraz descri­bed the JUI-F chief as the “rejected politician wearing a religious cloak to hide the wealth that he has amassed through corruption”.

In a tirade against the PDM convener two days before its planned Lahore show, Mr Gandapur, who had defeated Maulana Fazl in the 2018 election for the Dera Ismail Khan seat (NA-38) of the National Assembly by a huge margin on a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ticket, also challenged him to contest a re-election in his constituency if the latter believes that the 2018 general elections were rigged.

Calling him the ‘Chief of Thieves’, the minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan said: “Only the person who has the capabilities to gather wealth through illegal means and has expertise to park that ill-gotten wealth will be made the chief of the thieves.” These abilities had made him the “ring leader” of opposition party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif and others, he remarked. “I present him four sets of questions and demand that the Maulana answer them in the upcoming public gathering [of PDM in Lahore] on December 13,” Mr Gandapur said.

He asked the Maulana about reasons for allegedly keeping contacts in the British intelligence agency, MI6, and in what capacity he had met them. The JUI-F chief was further challenged to deny if he had not met the Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval while JUI-India’s Maulana Mehmood Ahmed Madni too was present in the meeting. “You should tell the nation about the contents of that meeting.”

Mr Gandapur then asked about the JUI-F’s Azadi March of November 2019 that he said harmed the cause of Kashmir due to its timing. He asked Maulana Fazl to tell the nation about his contacts with the international forces before and during the march.

The minister then touched the sensitive issue of sectarianism in Pakistan, blaming the Maulana for his involvement in pitching one sect against another.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Eid amidst crises
Updated 31 Mar, 2025

Eid amidst crises

Until the Muslim world takes practical steps to end these atrocities, these besieged populations will see no joy.
Women’s rights
31 Mar, 2025

Women’s rights

PAKISTAN’S legal system has issued some important rulings in recent days concerning women, which deserve more...
Not helping
31 Mar, 2025

Not helping

THE continued detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee leaders — including Dr Mahrang Baloch in Quetta and Sammi ...
Hard habits
Updated 30 Mar, 2025

Hard habits

Their job is to ensure that social pressures do not build to the point where problems like militancy and terrorism become a national headache.
Dreams of gold
30 Mar, 2025

Dreams of gold

PROSPECTS of the Reko Diq project taking off soon seem to have brightened lately following the completion of the...
No invitation
30 Mar, 2025

No invitation

FOR all of Pakistan’s hockey struggles, including their failure to qualify for the Olympics and World Cup as well...