• Says rulers lack popular mandate, capacity to bring change
• Accepts SC ruling, warns against its misuse to push controversial ‘package’ through parliament

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday announced his party’s opposition to the 26th constitutional amendment, calling for its postponement and criticising the government as unrepresentative.

Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Islamabad, Mr Rehman said the current government lacked both a popular mandate and the capacity for meaningful improvement. He said the government did not represent the people and had shown no ability to address the current challenges.

“The government should delay the amendment until after the conclusion of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit,” the JUI-F chief said, expressing surprise at the haste with which the government was pursuing the measure.

Mr Rehman contrasted this urgency with the extensive deliberation that accompanied the 18th Amendment, suggesting that more time should be given to such important legislative changes.

“I request the government to postpone the constitutional amendment to avoid controversy and to send a message of solidarity and unity to the world,” he said.

The JUI-F leader emphasised the importance of his party’s stance on the matter and demanded that their concerns be heard in this regard.

“Any future strategy regarding the 26th Amendment will depend on the JUI-F’s position,” he said, reiterating that the party is currently not in favour of the amendment.

When asked about a possible joint parliamentary session to pass the proposed amendment, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he was unaware of any such plans and dismissed the government’s justification of the amendment as insignificant to the system.

To another question, the JUI-F chief said while he accepted the Supreme Court’s latest ruling on Article 63-A, he cautioned against its use as a political tool for vote manipulation.

He also raised concerns about the deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, criticising the government’s failure to maintain control in the two provinces. He expressed particular concern over the closure of madressahs, suggesting this was being done under the guise of law and order.

On the global front, the JUI-F chief condemned the ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel’s actions, which he described as state-sponsored terrorism. “We call upon the Muslim world to take concrete steps towards the liberation of Palestine,” he said.

He expressed dismay over the reported deaths of 60,000 people in Gaza and Lebanon, questioning the silence of the global Muslim community.

He criticised the role of the US and Europe in supplying weapons to Israel, accusing them of hypocrisy in their stance on human rights.

“Israel may think targeting prominent Islamic figures will weaken the Muslim world’s resolve, but our strength is rooted in the belief of Tawheed. Muslims will endure until the Day of Judgement,” he said, stressing the need for a unified response from the Muslim world.

Mr Rehman also called upon Saudi Arabia to lead a coalition of Muslim nations, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkiye and Pakistan, to champion the Palestinian cause and secure their rights.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2024