ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) secretary general Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri has said that with the resignation of Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani, change has started taking place in the country and those in power should brace for more.

Talking informally to reporters here on Monday, the JUI-F senator, in response to a question, alleged that the military establishment was supporting the outgoing Balochistan chief minister, but it failed to save him. “Pindi was supporting [the CM] but in the end, it failed,” said Mr Haideri when asked if the establishment had any role in the changes taking place in Balochistan.

Predicts more changes in the country after Alyani’s resignation

The term “Pindi” is often used in political and media circles for the military establishment due to the presence of the army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The remarks from the JUI-F leader came a day after Mr Alyani of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) resigned from the office of the Balochistan CM in the wake of a no-confidence motion tabled against him by some disgruntled members of his own party last week.

The Balochistan Assembly was scheduled to vote on the no-trust motion on Monday, but Mr Alyani tendered his resignation on Sunday night, reportedly after his meeting with Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak. The two had flown to Quetta in an effort to avert a political crisis which developed due to rift within the BAP.

Mr Haideri claimed that Mr Alyani had met him and sought support of his party against the no-confidence motion, but he told him that the JUI-F was a part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and followed all decisions taken from the PDM platform. The senator said he also told Mr Alyani that the PDM had already made a decision and, therefore, the JUI-F could not extend its support to him.

The JUI-F leader predicted that the change that had just started from Balochistan would be visible in other parts of the country too.

About the prevailing situation in the country with reference to the ongoing sit-in by activists of the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) at Muridke, the senator alleged that the PTI government was in a habit of not fulfilling its promises. The government had first promised to the TLP that it would release its leaders, but later refused to do so, he claimed.

“I consider the state responsible for the present situation,” he declared while terming TLP’s demands correct and justified. He was of the opinion that TLP people were “religious and emotional workers” but not political workers and, therefore, they reacted when the state used force against them.

Mr Haideri said that every party or organisation had the right to hold protests within constitutional limits. Whenever the state would use force and fire bullets at protesters, there would be a reaction, he said, alleging that the government had intentionally used force against the protesters to incite them so that it could take action against the group.

In reply to a question, the JUI-F leader expressed ignorance about the reported backdoor contacts of the PDM member parties with the military establishment.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2021