Fazl's party, PML-N trade barbs
The political controversy surrounding Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's controversial remarks on martyrs showed no signs of letting up on Friday as the party denounced growing criticism of its leader as politically motivated.
Furthermore, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan asserted that no criticism of the country's martyrs or armed forces would be tolerated regardless of who made it.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, JUI-F Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief Maulana Ataur Rehman said critics had created "an unnecessary storm" over an incomplete sentence from Fazl's speech, adding that the remarks had been taken out of context.
He said the controversy erupted after JUI-F's successful public gathering in Kasur on July 13 and accused opponents of deliberately distorting the speech to damage the party chief's public standing.
"If they have the courage, they should listen to Maulana Fazlur Rehman's entire speech," Ataur Rehman said, adding that comments were being made after taking the speech out of context.
He alleged that efforts were being made to diminish Fazl's popularity and confine his political influence to a single province.
"There is an attempt to limit Maulana Fazlur Rehman to one province," he said, adding that the JUI-F chief had become "dominant in the hearts of his opponents" and that the party's K-P chapter fully supported his statement.
Ataur Rehman said JUI-F had made immense sacrifices for the country, noting that 80 party workers had been killed in the Bajaur rally alone.
"Our religious scholars were targeted, yet we stood with the state," he said. "All our sacrifices have been forgotten because of a single sentence, while mud is being slung at Maulana's personality."
He questioned why the entire debate had centred on only "two words" from the speech instead of its broader message.
"What does the state want to say and what does it want to do? The entire speech has been reduced to a debate over just two words," he said.
Ataur Rehman said JUI-F had been among the first political parties to support Pakistan during the recent conflict with India. He added that Fazl had united religious scholars and secured a collective fatwa against terrorism.
He warned that attempts to obstruct JUI-F's political activities would be viewed as efforts to hinder the country's progress.
"If JUI-F's path is blocked, we will believe you are standing in the way of the country's development," he said, alleging that opponents feared the party's success in the next general election and claiming that JUI-F was being targeted at the behest of foreign countries.
'We will not forgive'
Meanwhile, addressing a public gathering, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan dialled up on the criticism, saying no political leader, irrespective of stature, should be allowed to speak against the country's martyrs.
"No matter how big a politician may be, if he speaks against the martyrs, we will not forgive him," he said. "Whether such remarks are made by Imran Khan or anyone else, we will not tolerate them."
Paying tribute to the armed forces, he said, "The death of a martyr is the life of the nation," adding, "Our armed forces are our pride." "If anyone speaks against our armed forces, this sea of people will stop them."
Referring to the recent military confrontation with India, he said the events of May 10 could never be forgotten.