KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday acc­u­sed the country’s establishment of clinging to au­­thority despite widespr­e­­ad criticism from all sect­o­­rs of society, alleging that “it remains indifferent to what is right or wrong” and that “its sole concern is maintaining power”.

Speaking to reporters, Maulana Fazl sharply criticised the establishment for failing to change its approach, citing several examples of what he claimed proved the powerful quarters’ tendency to “ridicule democracy”.

Asked about the future of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, the JUI-F leader argued that democratic success depen­ded not on the completion of a term but on the legitimacy of the government’s genuine mandate.

“It’s not about completing the term. We have seen in the past that martial law regimes have had the longest tenures,” he said. “The real question is whether this government can claim that it came to power through fair elections and holds a genuine mandate with moral and legal authority.”

Highlighting irregularities in recent by-elections in two Balochistan Assem­bly constituencies, Mau­la­­na Fazl said, “In one constituency, Nadra verified only two per cent of the vo­­­tes as genuine. In an­­ot­her, a candidate was decl­ared victorious despite not winning a single polling station. How can we trust such elections.”

He criticised the establishment for its refusal to change its attitude, accusing it of having no ideology beyond a “thirst for authority”. He added, “They may get angry over criticism, but when they mock democracy in this way, how can they expect not to face public backlash?”

To a question, the JUI-F chief said the legislation for the registration of madressahs has already been enacted at the parliamentary level and asked why provincial governments are delaying legislation when a national law is already in place.

He called for immediate implementation throu­­gh provincial laws. He also mentioned that relief had been provided for ma­­dressah registration thro­ugh a presidential ordinance and clarified that JUI-F had no objections to the government’s efforts to bring certain madressahs under its control.

On economic issues, he stressed that the public would remain dissatisfied until the common man felt the effects of economic progress.

He also noted that the PTI had not taken the public into confidence regarding its ongoing negotiations with the governme­nt, so he refrained from commenting on the matter.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2025