Nowshera, December 7, 2024 – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman emphasized on Saturday that his party’s primary concern is the protection of religious seminaries, not challenging the writ of the state.
Addressing an event in Nowshera, Rehman stated, “The government is wrongly linking seminaries with terrorism. Our fight is to safeguard these institutions. Our aim is to protect seminaries from the government’s encroachments.”
Rehman further elaborated on the JUI-F’s position, recalling his party’s stance during negotiations with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government ahead of the elections. “I had expressed my reservations to the PDM government. We had agreed that the seminaries would be registered according to their own will,” he said.
He pointed out that a bill aimed at addressing issues related to seminaries was drafted and passed in the National Assembly and Senate during the PDM-led government but was ultimately rejected by then-President Asif Ali Zardari, who did not sign it. Rehman criticized the rejection, stating that the president did not raise objections about the 26th constitutional amendment but withheld approval of the seminaries’ bill.
Rehman stressed that the JUI-F had pursued negotiations rather than challenging the state’s authority. He warned that if their demands regarding the seminaries’ bill are not met, the party would show who could exert greater pressure— the ruling authorities or JUI-F.
