More of a politician than a mullah.
Whether as a success or a failure, you can define Maulana Fazlur Rehman in your own way. The one thing that remains consistent in his political playbook is his ability for whipping out the religion card faster than a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat – whether it’s to climb the ladder of success or dodge a sticky situation … an ability that has earned him both admiration and outright condemnation.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman the head of Jamiat Ulama e Islam (JUI) is among the most intriguing figures in Pakistani politics. He ascended to leadership within the JUI due to his father’s influence.
In Musharraf era, Fazal got pinnacle of influence as he experienced the status of the opposition leader from 2004 to 2008. Moreover, his party held the position of chief minister in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government under the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal coalition.
The complex dynamics between Molana and Kaptaan:
In the early 2010s, PTI emerged as a serious threat to the JUI-F, particularly in KP, and was strongly opposed by Molana, who even went on to claim that a decree issued by ulamas stated that casting a vote in favour of Imran Khan was ‘haram’ (un-Islamic) in 2013. The 2018 general elections brought more electoral misery for JUI-F chief as he lost in his traditional stronghold in Dera Ismail Khan to PTI’s Ali Ameen Khan Gandapur in NA-38 and PTI’s Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh in NA-39.Even though Fazal himself failed to win any NA seats in 2018, he played a crucial role in the opposition against former PM Imran. In Oct 2019, he led a long march, dubbed as Azadi March, against the then-PTI government. In September 2020, his party, along with PML-N and PPP, formed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of 11 opposition political parties. They alleged that Imran’s victory in the 2018 general election was rigged by the country’s military establishment and demanded his resignation. Fazal subsequently become the president of the PDM after his unanimous nomination by the heads of all the parties.
In Feb 2022, he announced that PDM had decided to move a no-confidence motion against the PM which proved to be a success in April when Imran became the first prime minister in Pakistan’s history to have been removed from office through that route.
Policies and Positions:
- Molana Fazl ur Rehman supports implementing Shariah law in Pakistan but believes that engaging in armed struggle to achieve this goal is against Islamic teachings.
- He asserts that his party advocates for a peaceful approach to implement Shariah and promote the message of Islam. However, he has frequently aligned with or endorsed parties lacking a religious orientation. Since 2013, Fazl has consistently supported the PML-N. Additionally, he has formed alliances with other religious-political factions, such as his party’s involvement in the broader MMA coalition during the 2018 elections.
- In the past, Fazl proposed mediating between the Pakistani Taliban and the government but later altered his stance on the matter. He also faced suicide attacks perpetrated by militants.
- The leader of JUI-F has voiced opposition to the merger of KP and Fata, contending that it did not align with the desires of the tribal populace. He had proposed conducting a referendum to ascertain the preferences of the people of Fata. Nonetheless, Fazal clarified that he wouldn’t oppose the region’s integration into the mainstream, emphasizing that it differs from merging with KP.
- The JUI-F chief met with Hamas leaders Khalid Mashaal and Ismail Haniya in Qatar last November to show solidarity with Palestine, stating, “The advocates of developed countries have the blood-stained hands of innocent children and women.”
- He has urged the nation’s political leaders to secure the release and return of Aafia Siddiqui, whom he described as a victim of the government’s misguided policies aimed at appeasing the United States.
- He opposed the reinstatement of NATO supply lines in 2012. However, the Americans do not necessarily view him as anti-US. In fact, internal State Department communications have characterized him as “more of a politician than a mullah.”
- He has consistently opposed legislation aimed at safeguarding women and laws that seek to revise the legal age of marriage, labeling them as ‘Western’ in nature and detrimental to Pakistani society and culture.
- He also denounced what he referred to as the ‘judicial execution’ of Mumtaz Qadri and hailed him as a martyr, suggesting that the hanging was motivated by ill intentions and could potentially be part of a plot to abolish Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.