CHAKWAL: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has not made any direct or formal contact with him, adding that talk of negotiations remains confined to media statements.
Speaking to journalists after offering condolences over the death of Maulana Abdul Rahim in Chakwal, he said PTI had merely issued statements about forming a negotiation committee but had not approached him formally.
Criticising recent constitutional developments, Fazlur Rehman said that following the 27th Constitutional Amendment, some individuals had begun to see themselves as all-knowing. He alleged that the amendment was passed through the use of power and a two-thirds majority, unlike the 26th Amendment, which he said was achieved through dialogue and consensus. He described the Constitution as a national covenant.
The JUI-F chief said the PML-N-led government was effectively operating as a minority government and claimed the Pakistan Peoples Party had gained nothing from supporting it. He also questioned the proposals for creating new provinces, asking how their governance would be managed.
Fazlur Rehman announced that a meeting of religious scholars would be held on December 22 to oppose what he termed un-Islamic legislation, followed by an All Parties Conference (APC) in Karachi on the same day.
He warned that legislation in violation of the Constitution amounted to hostility towards it, adding that a government’s mandate automatically lapses if the Constitution is breached.
Referring to the merger of the former FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said his party had warned of its consequences, claiming it was enforced through power and had weakened the state’s writ by allowing armed groups to gain influence.
He concluded by saying Pakistan’s Afghan and counterterrorism policies had remained flawed for decades, stressing that major national decisions must be taken by elected representatives rather than imposed by powerful forces.
