Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday came out swinging against institutions, accusing them of being the real culprits and rebels for violating the Constitution.
In a blistering address at a rally in Muzaffargarh, the JUI-F chief alleged that institutions, which had no hand in the creation of Pakistan, have played a part in its disintegration.
The Maulana aimed his sharpest barbs at the powerful establishment, stating that “while the powerful might be drunk on power, I keep their might at the tip of my shoe”.
Alleging that legislative assemblies in the country were nothing more than puppet shows for the establishment, he termed them the “assemblies of the establishment”.
"They are not representatives of the people. The parliament should house the people’s representatives, not those of spy agencies."
The Maulana warned the establishment against pushing the situation to a point of no return. "The funeral of democracy has been carried out, and our economy has been on a downward spiral for the last 75 years," he lamented.
"All military personnel have taken an oath to stay out of politics. Breaking that oath means forfeiting respect," he asserted.
Lashing out at the role of the defence forces, Rehman stated, "Our defence force should focus on its duty to defend, not dabble in politics." He lambasted the establishment for “meddling with the Constitution”, arguing that those who violate it are the real insurgents.
"The ones breaking the constitution are the ones carrying out the rebellion, not us," he asserted.
Fazl went on to criticise the current government and the ongoing fight against terrorism, noting, "[They] declared a war against terrorism, yet terrorism continues to rise."
Pointing out the irony of the government of Afghanistan being questioned over terrorism within Pakistan, he asked, "If terrorists are infiltrating from across the Afghanistan border, then where are you at the border?"
Read Govt trying to pacify disgruntled Fazl
Commenting on the deteriorating law and order situation, the JUI-F chief noted, "The people of K-P and Balochistan are suffering from severe unrest." He said that under the Constitution, the nation should be given an Islamic system and economic rights.
He asked whether supporting the institutions in establishing peace could be considered a crime for the scholars.
Touching upon the Fourth Schedule during his address, the JUI-F chief declared, "The Fourth Schedule will not stop us."
The JUI-F chief announced that on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Khatam-e-Nabuwaat, the party will celebrate "Youm-e-Fatah" on September 7 at Minar-e-Pakistan.
Expressing solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's ongoing horrific assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, he stated that the Muslims of Palestine have sacrificed a lot. "[Even] the European countries are being forced to recognise Palestine as a state [now]," he added.
"We want to convey to the Palestinians that Pakistanis stand with you," the JUI-F chief proclaimed.
Referring to the recent scandal involving wheat, he questioned the import of substandard crops, asking, "Why did you import 3.5 million tons of worm-infested wheat?" while alleging that a "deal" was made.
On May 24, the PTI senior leadership held a consultative meeting wherein it came to the fore that in their talks with a party delegation, the JUI-F chief demanded that he would join the opposition alliance only when a fresh movement was launched from a new platform.
According to a report by BBC Urdu released on May 8, Fazl claimed that if the 'powerful circles' did not admit that the February 8 general elections were "rigged," then that meant the people had also "rejected" their narrative on last year’s May 9 violence.
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