BADIN: Chief of his own faction of Jamiat ­Ulema-i-Islam Maulana ­Fazlur Rehman has said that the present government is not capable of handling the situation in the wake of a suicide attack that killed over 40 soldiers in India-held Kashmir recently.

Addressing a rally in Tando Ghulam Ali on Sunday night, he said the ‘selected’ prime minister and his cronies were too naive to handle the pressure being mounted on Pakistan and asked the armed forces to take all stakeholders into confidence.

The Maulana alleged that the establishment had been running the country for 70 years, a situation which, he said, was not good for democracy.

He said Imran Khan was brought to power by the “real rulers” only to put signatures and raise the begging bowl to beg for them. He said there was no prime minister in the country and one who was using his ­powers was not elected by people.

The Maulana said certain forces in the country were trying to please America, but all such moves would be resisted by people. He said all neighbouring countries of Pakistan were not comfortable with policies of the present rulers, but the government was only busy trying to please America.

He claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was costing the country $15 billion every day. On one hand India was posing threats to Pakistan and, on the other, the rulers had already compromised on the $46bn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

He thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman for extending help to the Pakistanis working in the kingdom. He said nobody knew how the memorandums of understanding signed with Saudi Arabia would help boost Pakistan’s dwindling economy.

He condemned the reported suggestion by retired Gen Pervez Musharraf to recognise Israel and warned that once Pakistan recognised the Jewish state, the Kashmir issue would wither away.

The JUI-F chief said he was not afraid of state agencies, including the National Accountability Bureau, but rejected selective accountability because it was political victimisation done by inept rulers.

He said the PTI supported NAB when it arrested opposition leaders but started criticising the bureau when it began investigation against Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum.

He claimed that the government was conspiring to amend the law that had declared Ahmadis a minority community and the chain of events had proved it beyond any doubt that the present rulers were siding with the “enemies of Islam”.

“The government is conspiring to change the blasphemy law, setting culprits and convicted persons free just to please the Western powers,” he added.

He said his party would oppose such elements which were playing in the hands of “anti-Islam forces”.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2019