Speaking to the media after a meeting of JUI’s Central General Council, Fazlur Rehman said the law and order situation had deteriorated to such an extent that the party’s central meeting had to be shifted from Karachi to Peshawar.
He said members coming from Balochistan had expressed concerns about reaching Karachi due to the insecure conditions on the roads. The meeting was held in Peshawar on September 19 and 20, where the domestic and international situation, law and order and the party’s future political strategy were discussed.
Fazlur Rehman said JUI had repeatedly maintained that there were issues with the writ of the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, while the situation of street crime and other crimes in Sindh was also concerning.
He claimed that banks and citizens in Balochistan were not adequately protected, while incidents of ministers being stopped on roads had also been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said inflation was increasing in the country and people were looking for solutions to their problems, but the rulers were not paying attention to their concerns.
Fazlur Rehman said blocking Islamabad with containers in response to political protests raised questions regarding freedom of expression and the constitutional right to protest.
The JUI chief said Pakistan was already facing issues including insecurity, economic difficulties and inflation, and creating new disputes over provinces, the NFC Award and financial resources was not in the country’s interest.
He said major national issues should be discussed in Parliament and the rights of provinces should be protected in accordance with the Constitution. He added that the people of the respective provinces had a right over their resources and JUI would continue its struggle for provincial rights within the constitutional framework.
A meeting of JUI’s Central General Council was also held to discuss the issue of new provinces and administrative units, as well as the country’s law and order situation and the party’s future political strategy.
Asked about a no-confidence motion against the government, Fazlur Rehman said the opposition was currently not in a position to bring such a motion and no final decision had been taken or discussion held on the matter.
He said if the Pakistan Peoples Party separated from the federal government, the current government would become a minority government. He added that if a no-confidence motion was tabled in the future, JUI would support it.
He said there was a political reality that a government could be formed and run without JUI, but if the government genuinely represented political forces, there could be room for dialogue among political parties and resolution of issues.
Speaking about the defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Fazlur Rehman said the agreement should be taken forward and expressed his desire for Egypt, Iran and other Muslim countries to also become part of it.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has already clarified that the agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye is defensive in nature and is not directed against any country. It aims to strengthen defence cooperation, training, capacity building and regional security.
Fazlur Rehman said Pakistan had supported efforts to mediate between Iran and the United States to reduce tensions, but the public should be given more information about foreign policy and regional affairs.
Regarding protests by various political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fazlur Rehman said peaceful protest was the constitutional right of every political party and citizen. He said the government should negotiate with protesting parties and settle security and other related matters.
He said JUI itself was also a political party and stakeholder, but the doors for dialogue and communication between political parties should not be closed. He added that an environment of trust between the government and opposition was necessary.
Fazlur Rehman announced that JUI would hold a public conference in Multan on October 15, followed by gatherings in other districts.
He said JUI would continue its political struggle within the constitutional and democratic framework and would continue playing its role in raising political awareness among the public.
