• Says govts have lost writ in Balochistan, KP amid worsening security
• Asks opposition leader to call multi-party moot, or JUI-F will convene one
QUETTA: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday said the governments had lost their writ in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of the deteriorating security situation, with armed groups becoming increasingly active and people feeling unsafe while travelling and sometimes even in their homes.
Speaking at a press conference, Maulana Fazl said the government had failed to resolve the country’s multiple challenges due to the absence of a comprehensive national policy.
“Force alone cannot resolve the country’s political and security issues,” he said, adding that the JUI-F believed in dialogue and would convene a nationwide multi-party conference (MPC) to help steer the country out of the crisis, claiming that the party possessed significant street power.
Replying to a question, the JUI-F chief criticised Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over his remarks on the creation of new provinces and called for a national dialogue to address the country’s political and security challenges.
He said Mr Naqvi should clarify whether he had spoken in his personal capacity or on behalf of the federal government.
He also questioned whether Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had been consulted before the statement and urged the premier to clarify the government’s position. “If the existing system has failed, Mohsin Naqvi should either ask the government to resign or resign himself,” Maulana Fazl said, adding that “one cannot continue holding office while making such sweeping statements”.
The JUI-F was not opposed in principle to the creation of new provinces, he said, but questioned whether the prevailing political and economic circumstances were suitable for such a move. He warned that creating provinces without broad consultation and proper planning could deepen divisions, recalling that he had opposed the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with KP without adequate public consultation.
‘Not a cake’
“Pakistan is not a cake that can simply be divided with a knife,” he remarked, arguing that debates over new provinces were diverting public attention from pressing issues such as inflation, insecurity and governance.
On the political situation in Balochistan, Maulana Fazl confirmed that the JUI-F had decided not to join the provincial government. He said Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti had met the party leadership, but no decision had been taken to become part of the ruling coalition.
Referring to reports of a proposed jirga in Quetta, he said Mahmood Khan Achakzai, as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, should convene a nationwide MPC rather than limiting consultations to regional or ethnic forums. If that did not happen, he said, the JUI-F would organise an MPC to formulate a consensus-based policy on the country’s challenges.
Maulana Fazl also criticised what he described as the weakening of democratic institutions, saying parliament’s authority had been undermined and governments had often been formed through engineered political processes rather than through the people’s mandate. He called for governance strictly in accordance with the Constitution, restoration of public confidence and genuinely representative governments elected by the people.
Claiming that the JUI-F currently had the country’s strongest street power, he said the party’s public gatherings reflected widespread public support. Addressing the youth, he urged them not to launch emotional protest movements rather follow experienced political leadership capable of making informed decisions in difficult times.
Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2026