- Shrouded in secrecy and mystery
Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been, for the first time in his political career, left out of the thick of things owing to a heavy defeat in the 2018 elections. Prior to this he had always remained relevant allying with the ruling government of the time and taking his pound of flesh in exchange for that support. This was perhaps his primary motivation to organize and execute the much touted Azadi March; to show that he was still relevant. The power show with a mammoth crowd sitting at Peshawar Mor in Islamabad lasted a few weeks only to be scaled down into blocking of highways across major cities as part of a ‘Plan-B’, which has now been reduced to protests at a district level. All this while, the Maulana has kept his cards close to his chest by not taking the PML-N and PPP completely on-board with his ever-evolving strategy. While both opposition parties had already made it clear that they won’t be part of any sit-in, their contribution to the march otherwise also left a lot to be desired with bare minimum participation owing partly to each party’s own myriad of problems and also being kept in the dark by the JUI-F. Apart from securing some much needed nuisance value the Maulana has also attempted to convey to PM Imran Khan and his party that he too can gain the support of the same powers that had helped the latter come to power. According to the JUI-F chief he has been guaranteed fresh election in the next three months, stating that PM Khan would be sent packing by December, in exchange for wrapping up his sit-in. The government’s negotiation team has obviously denied any such understanding meaning the Maulana has assurances from other quarters.
The JUI-F cannot bring about any worthy change by giving a tough time to the ruling party on its own without keeping the opposition in the loop, discussing and formulating a joint strategy where the goals and the process to achieve them are mutually agreed upon. The APC being held today is a good chance for Fazlur Rehman to right this wrong.
