PESHAWAR, Oct 20: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday said national institutions were under international pressure to follow the Bangladesh model of governance to secularise the Constitution.

Addressing a condolence reference for member of the provincial assembly Ziad Akram Durrani here at Nishter Hall, Mr Fazl said attempts were made in the past to make the Constitution secular as was done in Bangladesh, but JUI-F thwarted them.

Mr Rehman said the government didn’t table recommendations of Council of Islamic Ideology in parliament due to displeasure of international players with them.

He said unfortunately, the bills recommended by nongovernmental organisations had regularly been tabled in the National Assembly.

The JUI-F chief declared restoration of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal a positive development for national politics and said the alliance was formed to counter negative policies of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

“Once again, the state is in a crisis. MMA has been restored to cope with the new challenges,” he said, adding that some were not joining the alliance only to make headlines in media.

He said the country was at the crossroads with its institutions on the verge of collapse and Musharraf’s wrong policies were to blame for it.

Mr Fazl declared his party moderate and said it neither favoured secularism nor did it ever support violence in society.

He said violence promoted violence in society, while western culture encouraged immorality and therefore, his party opposed both extremes.

Mr Rehman said US soldiers shot at Pakistani scientist Dr Afia Siddiqui in Afghanistan damaging her kidney.

“Dr Afia is a nuclear engineer and belongs to this land, but nobody here agitated for her release. Some don’t want to annoy the US over the Dr Afia detention,” he said.

The JUI-F chief said people were making hue and cry over Malala Yousufzai shooting incident only due to Taliban factor.

He said the civil society should condemn both the detention of Dr Afia in the US and the Malala attack.

Mr Fazl said attack on Malala had been politicised but JUI-F would not give certain quarters a freehand to exploit it.

He said seminaries in tribal areas had been bombed killing innocent children getting religious education, but unfortunately, the civil society didn’t protest the bombings.

He paid tribute to Ziad Durrani and appreciated his services for the people of Bannu.

Provincial assembly speaker Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmatti, opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani and JUI-F leaders addressed the event. Ziad, elder son of Akram Durrani, had died of heart failure in Peshawar.