Fazl says seeking governor’s post would be an insult, would demand PM’s office instead
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday rejected the imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, alleging that the measures appeared aimed at gaining control of the province’s mineral resources.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Fazl said the government’s justification for the measures was insufficient to win public confidence. He demanded an in-camera session of parliament to brief lawmakers on the rationale and objectives of the decisions.
Rejecting speculation about seeking the governor’s office, the JUI-F chief said it was insulting to suggest that he would demand such a position.
“Demanding the office of governor is an insult to me. If I demand a position, it will be that of prime minister,” he said.
Fazl said various claims had been made indirectly about the matter, even though the people concerned had denied that any such discussion had taken place. He rejected the government’s decision and said those who had made the claims were wrong.
He also questioned the political rationale behind the measures, noting that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had merged the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2017, but tribal areas were now being moved away from the provincial system and back under federal control.
He said the reversal would naturally raise suspicions among the public.
The JUI-F chief alleged that counterterrorism measures were being used as a pretext to gain control of the province’s mineral wealth, potentially depriving local people of their resources and restricting their benefits to certain vested interests.
He also claimed that the public was being kept uninformed about efforts to provide foreign powers access to those resources.
The JUI-F’s Majlis-e-Shura also expressed reservations about the government’s position, describing the imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency as unjustified and harmful to the country’s political interests.
In its assessment, the party’s consultative body said terrorism had increased despite the extensive use of state resources against it during 2001-2010 and again from 2010 to 2026.
It argued that this record made the government’s current measures not only misguided but also suspicious and potentially driven by ulterior motives.
Fazl questioned the results of previous military operations, asking what they had achieved despite being carried out repeatedly.
He said the government needed to explain not only the justification for its current actions but also what different outcomes it expected after earlier experiences.
The JUI-F’s Majlis-e-Shura called for an in-camera parliamentary session to brief members of the National Assembly and Senate on the background and objectives of the government’s measures and allow them to offer suggestions on the strategy.
The party also made it clear that it would not nominate a representative to any council being formed by the government in this regard.
On broader constitutional and political questions, Fazl said it must be made clear whether changes in government, the establishment of a new system and the transfer of power would be determined by the people or through the use of force.
He argued that invoking constitutional and legal procedures to serve particular interests did not automatically make a decision legitimate merely because the prescribed formalities had been completed.
Referring to past efforts to remove governments during the tenures associated with former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and President Asif Ali Zardari, Fazl said constitutional procedures had also been invoked on those occasions.
He questioned whether the PML-N or some of its allies had supported those actions at the time.
The JUI-F chief alleged that the current situation reflected the use of force under decisions made by powerful quarters.
He further claimed that the president had neither followed the legal process nor expressed satisfaction with the decision, but had simply signed it, which he said raised questions about compliance with constitutional requirements.
Fazl also criticised what he described as interference in politics. He said he and other politicians had taken an oath in parliament and continued to honour it, adding that those who had pledged to stay out of politics but continued to control political affairs should reconsider their conduct.
He reiterated that the JUI-F rejected the results of the 2024 general elections.
Referring to former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf’s attempt to change the political system, Fazl said he had also failed to achieve his objective.
Political and administrative problems, he maintained, should be resolved through parliamentary consultation and dialogue among the relevant stakeholders rather than the use of force.