JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has criticized the rulers for their flawed policies, which, according to him, have alienated Pakistan's trusted allies.
"Our friends like Saudi Arabia and China no longer trust us. Why is there this trust deficit? It's because of our attempts to please the United States," Fazl said on Sunday while addressing a large public rally in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province.
According to the JUI-F chief, the country's economy is in disarray, and it is also facing setbacks on other fronts due to the rulers' misguided policies.
He noted that India's foreign exchange reserves have surpassed the $500 billion mark, while Pakistan's reserves stand at only $10 billion. He said Afghanistan, despite emerging from a 40-year-long civil war, has also a more stable currency than the Pakistani Rupee.
Fazl claimed that Western powers aim to destabilize Pakistan's economy. He also questioned on whose orders the rulers are rolling back Chinese projects in the country.
"They are assuring the United States of shutting down CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] while extorting money from China in the name of building it," he alleged.
The Maulana also warned the government against targeting religious seminaries, which, he said, are now struggling to get registered. "We provided protection to schools and colleges, so why can't these people protect the madrasas?" he asked.
The JUI-F chief vowed to protect religious seminaries, insisting that the rulers would never be able to eliminate these institutions. "We have led movements in this country, and now global powers want to erase the religious identity of my nation," he stated.
He also warned the government against its alleged attempts to seize control of mineral resources in the southern districts of K-P.
"They are paving the way to take over minerals in the southern districts. We will never accept the occupation of our resources. We cannot allow anyone to take over our children's resources and rights. We will not back down from protecting our resources," he declared.
Addressing the rulers, establishment, armed groups, and bureaucracy, he said the people, particularly those from the former tribal districts, are not satisfied with their actions. "We supported the establishment and the army, and they gave us unrest," he said.
He urged the establishment to stop its "so-called" war against terrorism. "The United States does not want to end terrorism; it is, in fact, the creator of terrorism," he claimed.
Referring to his visit to Kabul earlier this year, he said he had achieved success during talks with the Taliban leadership, but that success was turned into failure.
"Despite that, we are still ready to hold talks with the Afghan Taliban again. However, the rulers must first prepare themselves for them," he said.
He lamented that Israel has killed over 40,000 people, mostly children, in Gaza since October 2023, yet the rulers of the Muslim world are watching all this as silent spectators.
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