• JUI-F chief proposes fresh Charter of Democracy
• Raises questions over security situation, warns govt against use of force
• Minister defends KP emergency, alleges that Afridi ‘supported terrorists’
• Barrister Gohar accuses govt of ‘political victimisation’, calls for parliamentary dialogue
ISLAMABAD: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday accused the government of misusing the Constitution and resorting to unconstitutional measures, warning that his party was prepared to resist the government “until death” if it continued pursuing a policy of confrontation and violence.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Fazl criticised Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, accusing him of failing to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution and parliament.
He called for a new Charter of Democracy to protect the country from unconstitutional actions and violence.
“This parliament is a representative institution of the people, but the capacity for tolerance has ended and matters are deteriorating,” he said.
Recalling his efforts to defuse tensions during the PTI’s march towards Islamabad, the Maulana said party leaders had approached him to help resolve the matter.
He said he subsequently held detailed discussions with senior PML-N and PTI leaders before meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who asked for the long march to be called off.
“The following day Ishaq Dar called me and said that the cabinet was not agreeing to the proposal and governor’s rule will be imposed in KP,” he said.
“We tried to resolve the matter in a proper manner,” he added, stressing that his efforts had been aimed at preventing bloodshed.
Questioning the government’s ability to maintain law and order, particularly in Balochistan, he asked whether the security situation there was not worse, with even commissioners reportedly being kidnapped.
He said he had also heard reports that the son of the Khan of Kalat had been abducted. “How can the federal government claim that it has succeeded in maintaining law and order?” he asked.
The Maulana urged the ruling party to stand on its own feet, recalling that he had supported the PML-N leadership during difficult times.
He invited the government and mainstream opposition parties to sit together and draw up a new Charter of Democracy. “Let us agree to save this country from unconstitutional actions and violence,” he said.
Taking exception to questions about his party’s patriotism, the Maulana said the JUI-F had made significant sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and regretted that its contributions were being ridiculed.
The JUI-F chief said Pakistan belonged to all its citizens, not to any military officer or general. He also questioned the government’s position on mineral resources.
He said his party was mobilising its political strength to resist what he described as government encroachments, insisting that the JUI-F had not crossed any limits.
“If the government is prepared for a confrontation, we are also ready to confront it,” he said, reminding the treasury benches of his previous efforts to protect the country from political turmoil.
Minister defends KP emergency
Responding to the JUI-F chief, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry defended the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the latter was limited to six months while emergency measures applied only to a few terrorism-hit districts.
He criticised the Maulana and the PTI leadership in KP, arguing that political leaders needed to make their position on terrorism clear.
“You have to be on one side. Either remain with the state of Pakistan or be supportive of the TTP and Afghanistan,” the minister said.
He maintained that the situation in Balochistan was different from that in KP, alleging that the non-functional Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was using provincial resources to mobilise protesters towards Islamabad and had defended terrorists.
The minister claimed that all efforts to persuade the chief minister to cooperate in the fight against terrorism had been exhausted.
Dr Chaudhry argued that the government had been left with no option but to impose emergency measures in some districts, pointing out that Maulana Fazl himself had referred to areas of KP where police were absent and terrorists had established a presence.
Gohar calls for dialogue
Earlier, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan criticised the government over “political victimisation and persecution” of party workers and leaders in Punjab and KP.
He urged the government to adopt democratic means to resolve political disputes instead of resorting to force and called for the formation of a parliamentary committee to devise a way forward.
However, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq reminded the PTI leader that three committees had already been formed, but PTI members had repeatedly walked out.
Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2026
