Calling Imran Jewish agent was protest against economic system: Fazl

MULTAN: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Wednesday he was not asked to explain why he was branding Imran Khan as a Jewish agent, reports Geo News.

Speaking to reporters, he explained that saying Jewish agent was not an epithet, rather it was an expression of protest to see the country moving into an economic system with the Jews at its helm. Fazl said he was against the interest-based economy and he could not see the country being forced to accept.

He said the current government was extremely fragile, as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was sitting on the government benches but was not a part of the federal cabinet.

Talking to the media at Madrasa Qasimul Uloom here, he said his party did not accept the result of 2024 general election. Re-election should be held in the country without any interference of the establishment if the country was to be stabilised politically and economically, he demanded.

“The government will be in problem the day the PPP has an issue,” the veteran politician said. “I believe that there is no government [in the country currently],” he added. Fazl said his party believes in democracy and sought the rule of law and Constitution.

The Maulana said he did not have any personal enmity with the Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which came to power after the 2018 general election. “We do not do the politics of favouritism. If it were true, we would have been a part of the government,” he added.

Continuing criticism of the 2024 general election, Fazl said the JUIF had started a campaign against the “rigged” polls even before the PTI. “We do not accept such elections,” he said, calling for a new election process.

The JUIF chief denied being offered the prime minister’s post, saying that he would become the premier with the votes of people if he ever did. “I will become the prime minister or president if the people vote for me,” Fazl said, adding that he was never presented with such an offer. He wondered who would give him an offer to take the top slot.

Fazl warned that the country would constantly move towards “slavery” if the nation did not protect the votes. He expressed solidarity with farmers, who suffered losses due to the recent wheat import by the government.

Moving on to the law and order situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Fazl claimed: “Muzaffarabad is slipping out of hands in the quest for Srinagar.”

He also lamented deteriorating ties with Afghanistan in the light of protests on the Pakistan-Afghan trade routes. The Maulana said there were nine gateways connecting Pakistan to Central Asia via Afghanistan. For the last 20 years, he said they had supported Taliban under cover.

Speaking about negotiations with the PTI, the JUIF chief said he would encourage an environment for talks. They were political people and would not refuse negotiations with political parties, including the PTI. Two delegations of the founder PTI had come and they were holding meetings continuously, he added.

Fazl clarified that his party leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri met the prime minister to apprise him of problems of his constituency. He said his party’s position on the election results was blunt and they were sticking to it strongly. He said he could stand with the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) if it starts pursuing its old politics.

Fazl said he was saved from any court proceedings by Allah Almighty throughout his life whenever he disassociated himself from any government. Fazl said the country’s budget was in the hands of IMF and World Bank currently.