JUI-F MNAs question govt’s withdrawal of Fazl’s security

MNA Abdul Shakoor reiterates opposition to the merger of tribal areas with K-P

ISLAMABAD: MNAs aligned with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Friday deplored the government’s decision to withdraw security from the chief of their party Maulana Fazlur Rehman. They further warned that the government will be responsible if anything happens to their party chief.

“The prime minister who had claimed to provide containers for protesters [from opposition parties] is now withdrawing security [of opposition members] out of fear of Islamabad being locked down,” said JUI-F members of National Assembly Maulana Abdul Shakoor, Zahid Akram Durrani and Maulana Salahuddin Ayubi stated this while addressing a news conference at the National Press Club on Friday.



Terming the decision to withdraw Maulana Rehman’s security down the confusion prevailing within government ranks, they said that they will announce a new strategy to deal with the situation once Maulana Rehman returns from Saudi Arabia where he is currently performing Umra.

Addressing the news conference, Maulana Shakoor said that residents of the newly merged tribal districts have always been kept in a backward situation and that the merger of their areas with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) was the greatest oppression they had been subjected to.

“The area of the former federally administered tribal areas (Fata) was equivalent to K-P and we have been wronged by reducing our representation from K-P,” he said.

Pointing to the recent wave of terrorism around the country, the latest episode of which saw a suicide bomb attack outside Data Darbar shrine in Lahore which left 11 people dead, Maulana Shakoor said that, “despite the current law and order situation in the country, the security of Maulana Rehman has been withdrawn.”

He pointed out that when the prime minister arrived in the national assembly, cars or even other assembly members were stopped despite the fact that the government claims to be against protocol.

He contended that Maulana Rehman was popular amongst people from the tribal belt and that if anything were to happen to him, then they will exact revenge and register an FIR against the government.

“If the government thinks that by taking such steps we will retreat, then they are wrong. We will pursue Imran,” he warned.

Former K-P chief minister Akram Khan Durrani’s son and MNA Zahid Akram Durrani said that the opposition has not been allowed enough time in the national assembly due to the prevailing circumstances.

He accused National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser of postponing the session when it was time for the opposition to speak.

He also hit out at the government for the rising inflation which has caused difficulties for the poor.



“Look at the price of petrol, Ghee, sugar and what value the rupee has currently dropped to,” he said, adding, “The example of the PM is that he cannot work but lives on dividends of inherited properties.”

He accused the government of appointing the governor of the State Bank on the directives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Maintaining that JUIl-F chief Rehman had refused to accept the government as legitimate since day one, Durrani said that they also regard the government as incompetent.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2019.