ISLAMABAD: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday demanded fresh and fair elections in the country as he announced a series of political activities, including a jirga and a workers’ convention, in tribal districts.
Speaking to reporters, Maulana Fazl shared decisions taken by the party’s central committee, reiterating that his party believed in political dialogue. He said the JUI-F rejected the emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and demanded an in-camera parliamentary session to discuss the security issues.
Expressing concern over the security situation, the JUI-F chief said his life was unsafe and his seminaries were also under threat and criticised the government, questioning, “Now that you have killed people, what is left to negotiate?”
“If the military claims that it is fighting a war against terrorism, it should also acknowledge that the JUI-F has sacrificed 250 workers in the fight against terrorism,” he said. Maulana Fazl also questioned the outcomes of repeated military operations in the region.
As for the issue of militancy in erstwhile Fata, the Maulana said young people had been ‘provoked’ during the regime of former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, and his party had brought religious seminaries and the religious community beside the state. “We are not responsible for policymaking,” he said, urging the policymakers to explain the outcomes of their decisions and demonstrate their successes.
Referring to the administrative reforms introduced under Musharraf, he questioned whether the district government system had succeeded or failed, observing that after 25 years, there were once again discussions about restoring the same system.
Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2026
