Pakistan JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman blames military leaders for toppling Imran Khan government
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, a prominent right-wing Pakistani leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F), accused top military leaders, including former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, of plotting the downfall of Pakistan. In 2022, Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will be formed under the leadership of Imran Khan.
According to news agency PTI, Rehman said, “PPP was bringing a no-confidence motion against PTI. General Bajwa and Faiz Hameed were in touch with us at the time of the no-confidence motion.” He further said, “General Bajwa, Faiz Hameed asked all parties to do this (bring no-confidence motion).”
According to PTI, Rehman, speaking during a talk show on Samaa TV, said that one must stand up against the establishment.
He was quoted as saying, “Somebody has to stand up to the establishment and say it is doing wrong.”
Rahman said, “The protest will continue until things are resolved, because the establishment has nothing to do with politics. This protest will result in a revolution.”
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Why come into politics?
He questioned the involvement of state institutions in politics. He further commented that if the establishment believes that the elections were conducted fairly, it marks a rejection of the narrative surrounding the events of May 9.
“State institutions are respectable, but why get into politics?” Rahman asked the question. According to PTI, Rehman said, “If the establishment thinks the elections were transparent, then the story of the May 9 disaster has been buried.”
Talking about PTI, Rehman said that “there are differences of opinion with PTI which can be resolved.”
He also criticized the PML-N for announcing its intention to form a coalition government with the assistance of other parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party. He said, “The present Parliament has no future, because the decisions and policies in the Parliament will come from somewhere else.”
Rahman, who traditionally had close ties with the establishment, has become disillusioned after suffering significant defeats in the elections. His opponents claim that as an experienced politician, Rahman may seek a future role in the government by criticizing the military.
On February 10, 2022, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan was removed from power after losing a no-confidence vote.
The vote followed a motion brought by opposition parties after several days of intense political turmoil. The vote was motivated by a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the opposition, which had declared Khan’s actions unconstitutional.
With this vote, for the first time a Pakistani Prime Minister was ousted through a no-confidence motion, out of 342 members in the House, 174 votes were cast in support of the motion.