In Pakistan, if a politician speaks against the army, his political career is over. Due to this, former Prime Minister Imran Khan is in jail. Action has been taken against many leaders. But there is one leader who continuously challenges Army Chief and Field Marshal Asim Munir openly. He also challenged Field Marshal Asim Munir from the public platform and even said, ‘If you want to do politics, then take off your uniform and contest elections, then you will know how much support the public gives’. But despite this, the Pakistan government is not able to take action on it. Nor is she able to push him aside easily.
Who is Maulana Fazlur Rehman?
Maulana Fazlur Rehman is the head of Pakistan’s leading Islamic party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F). He was born in the year 1953 in Dera Ismail Khan. His father Mufti Mahmood was also considered a great Deobandi religious leader and politician of Pakistan. He had been the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the then North West Frontier Province. Took command of the party in the 80s after his father’s death. Currently, he is one of the most influential religious and political figures of Pakistan.
After all, why can’t the government do any harm to them?
- Maulana Fazlur Rehman is considered a Deobandi religious guru. There is a large network of Deobandi madrassas in Pakistan. Due to this, this Madrasa network has also become the strength of Maulana Fazlur Rehman. This network prepares a strong cadre and support base for the party during elections, which can prove important for any government. This is the reason why Maulana Fazlur Rehman remains an important personality in every government of Pakistan.
- The biggest base of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s party is the Pashtun dominated areas. In these areas he has both political and religious acceptance. Therefore no government can ignore them completely. If the government does this, it may suffer huge losses. There is already chaos and violence in this area, which may increase further.
- Maulana Fazlur Rehman has been a supporter of the Afghan Taliban for a long time. Taliban leaders have studied in many madrassas associated with JUI-F. He also demanded international recognition of the Afghan government after the return of Taliban to power in 2021. He is said to have direct contacts with the leadership of the Afghan Taliban. In such a situation, doing something against them could be direct enmity with the Taliban. Due to this, the already bad situation of Pakistan-Afghanistan may become worse.
- Maulana Fazlur Rehman has played an important role in changing power several times. In 2020, he led the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and was one of the key faces of the opposition strategy to topple the Imran Khan government in 2022. That means almost every major political party of Pakistan has been his ally at some point or the other. Maulana Fazlur Rehman played an important role in forming his government.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman has also spoken against General Zia-ul-Haq
Let us tell you that Maulana Fazlur Rehman has not spoken against the army for the first time. At the very beginning of his political career, he became famous for giving statements against the military dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. Apart from this, he has criticized the political role of the army on many occasions.
For now it is not easy to take action against Maulana Fazlur Rehman
At present, experts say that it is not easy for both the government and the army to take strict action against Maulan Fazlur Rehman. The large religious base of his supporters, strong network of madrassas and mosques, his political influence in Pashtun areas, contacts with the Afghan Taliban, and his usefulness in coalition politics play an important role in this.
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