PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman came down heavily on the security forces and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Thursday accusing them of forcing closure of seminaries and intimidating Ulema and students in the Malakand Division.
“The state institutions are taking extrajudicial measures and pressurising Ulema to close down seminaries and avoid giving admission to outsiders,” said Maulana Fazl while addressing a press conference after attending his party's provincial executive council meeting here.
He alleged that Ulema were being threatened to close their seminaries in Malakand Division particularly in militancy stricken Swat district and asked not to admit outsiders. He said that workers of Tablighi Jamaat were also not allowed to carry out preaching in Swat.
Asked who were behind these threats, Maulana replied: “Certainly, the army, because military is calling the shots in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” adding that the provincial government had become subservient to the army. He said that the concerned quarters should allow students to continue their religious education.
He alleged that indecency and immorality were being promoted in the province in the name of holding cultural shows and festivals. “There is a difference between Pakhtun culture and indecency,” he remarked and said that the government was promoting vulgarity in society.
The provincial government, he said, was accomplishing foreign agenda by organising such programmes.
Maulana Fazl was concerned about the growing tension between the judiciary and executive and warned that any clash among the institutions could not only derail the system but also lead the country towards anarchy.
“Powers and functions of all the institutions have been clearly pronounced in the constitution. Therefore all the institutions should refrain from overstepping their jurisdiction,” he maintained.
“Executive should act upon the decisions of judiciary, while the apex court should not become a party,” he said. He added that despite sitting on opposition benches JUI wanted that government should complete its tenure.
Replying to a question, Maulana Fazl termed Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hassan main obstacle in the revival of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), the six-party coalition that ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan from 2002 to 2007.
He said that majority of the members of JI central Shura wanted revival of the alliance, but their party chief was creating hurdles. He said that JUI would host the next meeting of religious parties soon after Ramazan in which revival of the alliance would be discussed.
Regarding the prevailing security situation in Karachi, he said that both the Awami National Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement were responsible for the violence.
He said that ANP was shedding blood of Pakhtuns for winning a few provincial assembly seats in Karachi. He said that ANP could not win sympathies of Pakhtuns through such tactics.