I will criticise institutions if they ‘meddle’ in politics: Fazl

LAHORE:

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday said a resolution of a Corps Commanders’ Conference could not stop him from criticising the institutions if they continued “interfering” in politics.

A day earlier, the 263rd Corps Commanders’ Conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, presided over by army chief Gen Asim Munir, expressed dismay that some segments of polity and social media were “maligning the armed forces” with “unsubstantiated allegations of interference” in the electoral process.

“When a politician stands against the establishment, the judiciary becomes active. No decision of the judiciary of Pakistan is presented as a precedent in the world. The judiciary has lost its dignity and its decisions have no value,” Fazl maintained while addressing the JUI-F’s lawyers wing in Lahore.

He deplored that politicians had a history of showing weaknesses when it came to democracy.

“I ask the leaderships of the PML-N, PPP and PTI this very question.”

Fazl maintained that in the US, a person who did not recognise its constitution, their citizenship was stripped away.

However, he regretted that in Pakistan, a section was preaching in the country despite not recognising the Constitution.

The JUI-F chief noted that the Constitution of Pakistan was framed when the country was divided into two parts.

He added that at the time of framing the Constitution, the political leaderships of the country proved their broad-mindedness and matureness.

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“In the constitution, the ideas of each class were given scope.”

Fazl said if there was no Constitution, nobody would be bound by any agreement.

He said that from 1981 to 1986, he was in jail for the restoration of the Constitution.

The JUI-F chief observed that moral values were declining in the country’s society and the culture of abuse was growing.

“We have to protect our values. Why should we become murder our values?” he continued.

Fazl maintained that his party opted for moderate politics instead of resorting to an extremist ideology.

The JUI-F chief claimed that the country’s economy, politics and defence were controlled through international organisations and agreements.

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He continued that domestic laws of countries became ineffective in comparison with international laws.

Fazl regretted that the country’s politics was dominated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The JUI-F chief bemoaned the inability to run the country on its own resources, citing its dependency on external ones.

“The countries that became independent after us have progressed today. Political, economic and defence instability lead to the destruction of countries.”

He maintained that the US, which was reluctant to become a signatory to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) itself, was forcing Pakistan to sign it.

The CTBT prohibits any nuclear weapon test explosion anywhere in the world.