QUETTA: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday called for a change in attitude by the institutions, adding that mere announcement of staying neutral was not enough.

Speaking at a reception organised by the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, he said political and economic situation could be improved only when “all institutions work while staying within their constitutional domain”.

Maulana Fazl, who also heads the Pakistan Democratic Movement, said the JUI-F’s manifesto considered every province to be the owner of its natural resources, adding that people of Balochistan are owners of the province’s natural resources.

In order to save the state, he said, the rights of small provinces should be recognised and they should be involved in the development process for removing their sense of deprivation.

“International institutions have taken away political and economic freedoms. We have already decided that the army should remain neutral,” he said.

The change in the attitude of the institutions should be in accordance with the Constitution, he said, adding that everyone should work together for peace and stability in the country so that economic goals can be achieved.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2022