Fazl hints at mending fences with govt

ISLAMABAD: In a marked departure from his stance hinting at reconciliation with the coalition government, JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman Wednesday said whether the present parliament was a product of Form 45 or 47, they had to accept and use it to address all the national issues.

Speaking in the National Assembly, he emphasised the need for undertaking confidence-building measures to retain people’s trust in the state and its institutions. He said the people of Balochistan, Sindh and other provinces would have to be assured that the 18th Amendment would be followed and that they had the right to their resources. “The state has no right to occupy the resources of the people of any province,” he said.

“There is no more role of Parliament and people sitting here and that’s why Akhtar Mengal resigned as MNA”, he said, adding they were sitting in parliament to serve the nation and the country and not to be used by the institutions.

Fazl said he had already stated on the floor of the House that the government’s writ had ended in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where armed groups had gained power and were collecting taxes and ransom, guarding the main roads and roaming from village to village.

He said recently four to five armed attacks were carried out on the security forces in Balochistan on the same day. He pointed out that all the issues facing the two provinces had to be resolved by the political forces but regrettably, senior politicians were being sidelined at this critical juncture.

“They are being replaced by young people who are emotional, inexperienced and devoid of wisdom, and their approach complicates issues, making it difficult for the state to find solution,” he said.

Feeling that politicians should be empowered to make decisions, he asked whether the government was authorised to hold talks with the stakeholders. He said it was not the right approach that the establishment had the solution to all the problems.

“Whether the present government has the capability and power to talk to the aggrieved people by taking the opposition and parliament into confidence to end unrest in the country?” he asked.

Fazl warned that the government was fighting a proxy war, adding that external powers were involved in worsening the situation.

“If one country is making investment, the other is up against the projects,” he said.

According to him, the whole route of CPEC from Dera Ismail Khan to Balochistan had been occupied by some other elements and development was not possible there.

He asked the government to move forward with confidence and talk to all the stakeholders to improve the law and order in the country.

“We will continue to oppose the government but will offer our services in the best national interest,” the JUI-F chief said.

He said it would be a foolish approach to consider Parliament and political parties as unnecessary for the country and regretted that the writ of the state was being challenged.

Fazl said the situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could be normalised if parliament played its role and parliamentarians visited the two provinces and talked to the aggrieved parties.

“The issues are not very complicated but a sincere and wise approach should be there to address the problems,” he said.

He further said that just blaming the Afghan authorities for activities inside Pakistan would not work adding that those at the helm here would also have to fulfil their responsibilities.

He said the issue of missing persons was serious and their families were not apprised of whether they were alive, dead or missing.

Referring to the protest of Pak-PWD employees, he observed the government had not been able to improve the economy and cut the unemployment rate.

Opposition leader Omar Ayub said there was a need to take the deteriorating situation in Balochistan seriously due to which Akhtar Mengal had resigned as MNA.

He said the government should not take Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s resignation lightly, as it could turn out to be the tip of the iceberg.

“A volcano is boiling among the people of the province, who are more patriotic than anybody else. No regulatory authority has the right to issue certificates of patriotism,” he cautioned.

He alleged that the speeches of the opposition members were being censored and no coverage was given on the questions about the missing persons and defence expenses.

He also said the parliamentarians sitting on the government benches could not speak on the floor of the House. Omar further said the people of Balochistan were right in their demands.

“The Baloch youth is not ready to listen and even the provincial ministers are not able to come out of the red zone in the provincial capital,” he added.

He alleged that a team of CTD Punjab attempted to kidnap a person in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but they were stopped by the people present there.

He sought an apology from the Punjab chief minister and IGP for the CTD action in KP.

He also asked if the federation would function when the KP dues were being delayed.

“There is nothing in the hands of Form 47 government and they take dictation from somewhere else,” he charged.

Omar said he wanted to give a categorical message from the opposition that the PTI leaders were being kept behind bars on fake charges.

He also dared the government to make the videos of the May 9 incidents public.

PMLN parliamentarian Hanif Abbasi said the opposition leader was criticising the army which gave respect to his family.

“You belong to a family whose elder gave himself the title of field marshal without winning a war,” he said warning him that the military court were still there for them.

He pointed out that nobody was blind to what happened on May 9 and how and who attacked the military installations, GHQ and the Corps Commander’s House.

“There are such big evidences piled against you with regard to May 09 violence that it is not possible for you to dodge the charges,” he said.

Abbasi said he was ready to accompany the PTI leaders to apologise to the “authorities concerned” but an institution should not be targeted.

“I question whether you will put the entire country on fire if Imran Khan is punished by a military court.”