Fazal-ur-Rehman | |
|---|---|
| فضل الرحمان | |
 | |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 25 March 2004 – 15 November 2007 | |
| President | Pervez Musharraf |
| Prime Minister | Shaukat Aziz |
| Preceded by | Benazir Bhutto |
| Succeeded by | Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi |
| President of Pakistan Democratic Movement | |
| In office 20 September 2020 – September 2023 | |
| President of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal | |
| Assumed office 20 March 2018 | |
| President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) | |
| Assumed office 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Mufti Mahmud |
| Chairman of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir | |
| In office August 2013 – 31 May 2018 | |
| In office 16 September 2008 – 24 March 2013 | |
| President | Asif Ali Zardari Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Yousuf Raza Gilani Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Nawaz Sharif Shahid Khaqan Abbasi |
| Member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 2008–2013 | |
| Chairman of Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1993–1996 | |
| Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan | |
| In office 1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018 | |
| In office 18 November 2002 – 18 November 2007 | |
| Constituency | NA-24 (D.I. Khan) |
| In office 17 March 2008 – 31 May 2013 | |
| Constituency | NA-26 (Bannu) |
| In office 16 October 1993 – 5 November 1996 | |
| In office 2 December 1988 – 6 August 1990 | |
| Constituency | D.I. Khan |
| In office 29 Feb 2024 – - | |
| Constituency | Pishin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 June 1953 Abdul Khel, NWFP, Pakistan |
| Nationality |  Pakistani |
| Political party |  Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam |
| Other political affiliations | Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) (2002–2008) |
| Children | Asad Mehmood[1] |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Maulana Lutf ur Rehman (brother) Atta-ur-Rehman (brother) |
Fazal-ur-Rehman (Urdu: مولانا فضل الرحمان; born 19 June 1953) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F).[2] He is also the president of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of political parties which ousted then prime minister Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion in 2022. He was a member of the National Assembly between 1988 and 2018, and the Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007. He is a supporter of the Taliban government in Afghanistan and has demanded for its international recognition.[3] In the 1980s, he was part of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), which was formed to end the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq.[4]
Rehman is a pro-Taliban politician, known for his close ties to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[5][6][7] He has attempted to re-brand himself as a moderate without connections to religious extremists and hardliners.[5] In the past, he has called for imposition of Sharia in Pakistan. Being a follower of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi who campaigned for liberation against the British Raj but later restricted his members from armed struggle after establishing Political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Rehman opposed armed struggle to impose shariah laws as it leads to extremism in society.[8] When in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2004 to 2007, his party passed the 'Hasba Bill' which was later declared illegal and unconstitutional.[9][10] Through this bill, he believed that he would be following in his father Mufti Mahmud's footsteps, as he tried to implement 'Nizam-e-Mustafa', which his father struggled for throughout his political life. However, it was declared unconstitutional by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry.[11]
After defeat in the 2018 Pakistani general election, Rehman was ejected from the National Assembly and failed to win major political support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bagging only 10 of the 99 seats in his home turf. Alleging election fraud, 11 opposition political parties formed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) [12] appointing Rehman as the president of this movement.[13]
Rehman was born on 19 June 1953[14] (1 September according to another report) to a Marwat Pashtun family,[15] in the village of Abul Kheel in Dera Ismail Khan.[16][17] His father, Mufti Mahmud, was an Islamic scholar of the Deobandi branch and a politician who served as the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 1972 to 1973.[6]
His early education was from Millat High School, Multan and was a student of Mussarat Baig and Syed Iqbal Shah.[citation needed] He attained a Bachelor's degree (B.A) in 1983 from University of Peshawar and completed his master's degree at Al-Azhar University Cairo.[18] During his early religious training and education (Ilm Us Saraf, Ilm Un Nahv, Logic) he remained the disciple of Mufti Muhammad Essa Gurmani and Molana Abdul Ghaffor Gurmani of Shadan Lund before studying Sharah-e-Mata-e-Aamil and Hidayat-un-Nahv with Muhammad Ameer of Chudwan in a Madrassa at Jhok wains Multan .[19] He was a student of Abdul Haq Akorwi, Hasan Jan, and Syed Sher Ali Shah during his Shahadat-ul Alamia at Darul Uloom Haqqania.[20]
Rehman began his political career as the secretary general of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 1980 at the age of 27. This was after the death of his father Mufti Mahmud who was the leader of the party before his death.[6][21]
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam later split into two factions in the mid-1980s with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) led by Fazal.[6][21][5] Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1988 Pakistani general elections for the first time on from D.I. Khan seat.[21][6] He then made connections with Afghan Taliban.[21] Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1990 Pakistani general elections for the second time on from D.I. Khan seat but did not win the election.[21] Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1993 Pakistani general elections for the second time on Islamic Jamhoori Mahaz ticket from D.I. Khan seat.[21] Fazal was appointed as the chairman of the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs in National Assembly of Pakistan.[6][21] Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1997 Pakistani general elections for the fourth time but did not win the election.[21]
Rehman led several anti-American protests and pro-Taliban rallies in the major cities of Pakistan following the war in Afghanistan in 2001. He criticised President of United States George W. Bush, and threatened to launch jihad against the United States if the bombings continued. He also criticised and warned President of the Pakistan Pervez Musharraf that he would be overthrown if he continued to support the “War on Terror”.[21][6] In October 2001, Pervez Musharraf placed Fazal under house arrest in his native village Abdul Khel[22] for inciting the citizens of Pakistan against the armed forces of Pakistan and for trying to overthrow the government of Pakistan. Later in March 2002, Fazal was set free and the cases against him were withdrawn.[6][21]
Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2002 Pakistani general elections for the third time on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket.[21] He won on two seats, NA-24 and NA-25, the later was vacated. Upon winning the election, Fazal became a potential candidate for the post of prime minister of Pakistan but was not appointed.[21][6] He served as the leader of the opposition from 2004 to 2007.[23]
Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2008 Pakistani general elections for the sixth time on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket from two constituencies, NA-24, D.I. Khan which is his traditional constituency and NA-26, Bannu[24] In September 2008, he was elected chairman of the Kashmir committee of the National Assembly of Pakistan.[25] Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan for the fourth time on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket from Bannu constituency,[21] but he lost the election in D.I. Khan constituency.[21] By 2008, Fazal distanced himself from Taliban and called himself a moderate.[21]
In May 2014, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave him the status of a federal minister for being the chairman of special committee of the National Assembly on Kashmir.[26] In August 2017, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi gave him the same status again.[26] Upon the dissolution of the National Assembly on the expiration of its term on 31 May 2018, he ceased to hold the status of a federal minister.[27] In March 2018, he became head of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal[28] which was revived in December 2017.[29] Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2018 Pakistani general elections from Dera Ismail Khan's constituencies, NA38 and NA 39 but did not win.[30]
On 27 August 2018, several opposition parties including Pakistan Muslim League (N), nominated him as a candidate in the 2018 presidential election.[31] On 4 September 2018, he clinched 184 electoral votes behind Arif Alvi (352) and ahead of Aitzaz Ahsan (124) in the election.[32]
According to leaked diplomatic cables, in 2007 Rehman invited then US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, to a dinner in which he sought her support in becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan and expressed a desire to visit America. The ambassador wrote in her notes that Fazl sees himself as a Kingmaker. Fazl also reportedly told the ambassador that his votes were up for sale.[33][7]
Rehman opposed the Huqooq-e-Niswan bill in 2016 claiming that it was un-Islamic.[34] Rehman also rejected the Women's Protection Bill in 2016, which protects domestic violence victims, claiming that the judicial execution of Mumtaz Qadri was wrong and declared that he was a martyr, rallying other right-wing religious parties to do the same.[35]
On numerous occasions, Rehman has displayed severe opposition to Imran Khan and his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). In 2013 Rehman declared voting for the PTI as haram (religiously prohibited), asserting Khan to be supported by the West and the Jewish lobby and explicitly calling him an agent of "Americans, Jews, Ahmadis and a person of ill character".[36][37]
Former JUI-F leader Muhammad Khan Sherani took to Twitter and said that when he asked Fazl ur-Rehman does he have proof that Imran Khan is a Jewish and Indian agent, Fazal responded with "it's just a political statement".[38]
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Main article: 2019 Azadi March |
In late 2019 Rehman led a march towards Islamabad with the intent to sit-in, until PM Imran Khan resigned from office.[39] rs[40] [citation needed] The Azadi March which translates as "Freedom March" started from Sukkur on October 27, 2019, and travelled Sindh and Punjab;[citation needed] other political parties also joined the march which reached Islamabad on October 31, 2019. Rehman also addressed the participants at different points on the journey. However, he could not reach his aims and ended the march on 16 November 2019.[41]
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Main article: Pakistan Democratic Movement |
In 2020, Rehman was unanimously elected as the leader of the coalition of political parties against the PTI government, the Pakistan Democratic Movement. Nawaz Sharif even favoured this appointment to be on a permanent basis but was opposed by others.[42]
Mufti Abrar (the party's spokesperson) verified, that On 31 December 2023 The politician's convoy was fired upon from multiple sides at Yarik interchange in kpk (province of Pakistan) in Dera ismail khan.[43][44][45] While passing through DI Khan, the JUI-F chief's convoy was ambushed close to the toll plaza, In response to a question about his safety he gave assurance that the veteran was in safe hands. President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif, responded to the incident by denouncing the attack on Fazl's convoy and expressing relief over the politician's safety.[46]
On December 5 during a press appearance in Islamabad, the politician commented:-
"There is no police in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, and Lakki Marwat. Can the polls be staged in this situation of unrest?".[47]
Condemning the attack on the JUI-F chief, party leader Hafiz Hamdullah termed the incident as a nefarious move to prevent the party from taking part in the electoral process.[48]Taking note of the reports, the interior secretary has requested a report on the event. “Miscreants will not be allowed to spread chaos and sow discord in the country,” said the spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior.[49]
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Main article: 2023 Khar bombing |
Meanwhile, around 63 JUI-F workers in July were killed in a suicide attack not long before the previous attack that was directed towards the party's workers' conference in Khar, Bajaur.[50]
