ISLAMABAD: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Thursday that the 21st Amendment and the Army Act Amendment were draconian laws which would promote terrorism.

He said at a press conference that religious parties would hold a seminar in Lahore on Jan 22 to inform the nation about the ‘negative impact’ of these amendments.

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“We will go to any extent and mobilise the masses against these laws,” he said.

Maulana Abulkhair Mohammad Zubair of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, leader of Jamiat Ahle Hadis Prof Sajid Mir, Allama Arif Wahidi of the Shia Ulema Council and representatives of Wafaqul Madaris and Jamaat-i-Islami attended the press conference.

“We will decide whether to approach the apex court against these laws, but I will prefer to go to D-Chowk,” the JUI-F chief said.

Responding to a question, he said: “I do not favour any terrorist, we are against terrorism of all kinds – we want them to be hanged, but we want all terrorists to be tried and hanged.”

While acknowledging that there was no mention of madressah in the amendments, he said their general mood was to target only madressahs.

“These laws describe only the bearded men who wear a chador as terrorists,” Maulana Fazl said. Mentioning the names of some alleged killers belonging to Karachi, he said that the government had given a clean chit to all forms of terrorism in these amendments.

Answering another question, the JUI-F chief said he had registered his reservations also at the recent All-Party Conference called by the prime minister.

“Yes, I was the one who concluded the meeting with prayers – but those were the prayers of protest and not favouring the decision.”

Maulana Fazl also said that his party would not part ways with the government over its differences on the amendments. PPP leaders – Raza Rabbani and even Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – had also opposed the 21st Amendment, he added.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2015

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