Naqvi: Fazl turns on state when share stops
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday criticised Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in the Senate, calling his recent statements inappropriate.
JUI-F senators created a ruckus in the House during his speech.
Speaking in the upper house, Naqvi said Fazlur Rehman had made unsuitable remarks about the state and its institutions.
“I used to respect Maulana Fazlur Rehman a great deal, but now there is no room left for respect,” he said.
He added: “For him, the state is a mother only as long as he keeps getting something from it. When the share stops coming, he starts speaking against the state.”
Addressing PTI Senator Ali Zafar, Naqvi said: “These same people who are doing politics with you today used to tell us before governor’s rule to impose governor’s rule and rid us of the PTI.”
When JUI-F members objected during his speech, Naqvi said: “Now you will get neither jobs, nor money, nor tickets from the state.” He said those who criticise should also have the courage to listen.
Row over Tehran meeting
Fazlur Rehman had criticised the federal government in the National Assembly a day earlier. He questioned Naqvi’s recent visit to Iran and used harsh language about state institutions.
Senior officials of Iran and members of the Makkah defence alliance recently attended a key meeting in Tehran. Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir represented Pakistan. Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkiye’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin also took part. Naqvi was present at the meeting.
Fazlur Rehman said: “A defence agreement is being made in Tehran, and our foreign minister and defence minister are sitting here. Take care of your honour and dignity. There is some shame, some modesty.”
He also asked whether the interior minister was needed there.
Responding, Naqvi said it was incorrect to say he had gone to Iran for a defence agreement.
“I was also criticised, asking why I went if the defence minister did not go,” he said.
“Maulana Fazlur Rehman does not know that this visit was not related to defence matters. We went to Iran to find a solution to the current situation.”
He said: “The prime minister has entrusted me with some matters related to the Iran war.”
He added: “I do not go anywhere out of choice. I go on the prime minister’s instructions.”
Khawaja Asif’s response
Earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also responded to Fazlur Rehman in the National Assembly. He said there was no discussion on Pakistan’s defence at the Tehran meeting and no defence agreement was under consideration. His attendance was therefore not necessary, he said.
Asif said Fazlur Rehman should look at his own political past while criticising others. He noted that the JUI-F chief headed the Kashmir Committee for nearly 10 years. He asked what services Fazlur Rehman had rendered to the Kashmir cause.
Asif said that instead of taunting others, Fazlur Rehman should review his own role and the privileges he received.