Maulana Fazl can mobilise 100,000 workers

ISLAMABAD: Around one hundred thousand (100,000) workers of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) are expected to converge on the capital, Islamabad, next week for a march in a push to dislodge the federal government.

The size of the march can match the rallies of political parties in recent past against the governments, easily outnumbering the "2014 dharna" arranged by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman, also, claimed to grab support of other political parties protesting against the PTI's current policies, which according to him, are pushing the country into deep "chaos and uncertainty."

Geo News/The News/daily Jang conducted weeks long rigorous research to gauge the wave of "Azadi March" plan, organisers’ planning to mobilse workers, source of funding, mood of other political parties and goals behind the proposed march by interviewing dozens of people directly associated with the plan as well as reviewed important communications of government institutions, like the special branch, police, Ministry of Interior, home departments, National Counter-Terrorism Authority & other civilian agencies.

"We plan for a big first power show in Sukkur today (October 28), second in Multan on October 29, third in Lahore on October 30 and then the final ‘Azadi March’ has been planned for Islamabad," said JUI-F senior leader Attaur Rehman who is leading the KP province.

Members of JUI-F's core committee (CC) have been asked to bring at least 3,000 workers each from their respective cities to the capital for "Azadi March", a JUI-F senior leader told Geo News. The CC members, Abdul Wasay, Mahmood Ahmad Khan, Malik Riaz Khan, Anwar Hayat Khan, Noor Saleem Malik, Munawar Khan Advocate, Fazal Ghafoor, Gul Muhammad Khan Dumar, Abdul Malik, Abdul Rehman Khetran, Gulab Khan, Lutf-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Usmatullah, Agha Muhammad, Gohar Shah, Qari Mohammad Yousif, Akram Khan Durrani, Mohammad Khan Sherani, Molana Ameer Zaman, Muhammad Jamalud Din, Shah Hussain Khan, Fazal Shakkor Khan, Said Janan, Zareen Gul and Azam Khan Durrani, would pull the workers out of their cities.

More than three dozen JUI-F Members of Parliament (Provincial/National Assembly/Senate) have also been assigned by JUI-F top leadership to mobilse sizable crowds from their constituencies. MNA Akbar Chitrali would lead workers in Chitral, MNA Afreen Khan in Kohistan, MNA Zahid Durrani in Bannu, MNA Muhammad Anwar in Lakki Marwat, MNA Asad Mahmood in Tank, Munir Khan Orakzai in Kurram Agency-I Tribal Area-VI, MNA Jamaluddin in South Waziristan Agency-I Tribal Area-X, MNA Abdul Shakoor in Tribal Area-XII, MNA Abdul Wasay in Killa Saifullah, MNA Kamaluddin in Pishin, MNA Salahuddin Ayubi in Killa Abdullah, MNA Asmatullah in Quetta, MNA Mehmood Shah in Mastung, MNAs Mehmood Shah, Shahida Akhtar Ali, Aliya Kamran and James Iqbal would bring 2,000 workers each from their respective districts to Islamabad. Rashid Mahmood Soomro, General Secretary JUI-F Sindh chapter, is leading workers in Sindh, MNA Abdul Wasey and senators Abdul Ghafoor Heideri and Hafiz Hamdullah would lead the rallies from Balochistan.

JUI-F Punjab Ameer Dr Atique Rehman, General Secretary, Safiullah and Central Deputy General Secretary Punjab Amjad Khan would be leading the workers in Punjab. All JUI-F bodies in towns, cities, villages and districts have been asked to bring thousands of workers to Islamabad, says Senator Hafiz Hamdullah, revealing the party got registered 3.5 million workers in the recent past.

Four containers, two of them bullet-proof, have been prepared for the top leadership of JUI-F. Two other small containers have also been bought for local leaders namely Attaur Rehman and Abdul Wasey, says Abdul Jalil Jan, Secretary Information, JUI-F KP. He, however, did not disclose who prepared these containers and who afforded their estimated cost, which is in millions of rupees.

A container with 40 feet length and 12 feet width cost Rs3 million to Rs4 million and this price goes up even to Rs6 million if it is equipped with best quality washrooms, beds, kitchens, air conditioners, sound system and cameras, said a container builder, Naveed Khan. Four out of the six containers JUI-F leadership got prepared, are equipped with all aforementioned facilities which cost around Rs20 million, revealed a JUI-F senior leader seeking anonymity.

Estimated 4,100 village councils, 308 city, 79 districts and four provincial councils have raised funds worth around Rs1.1 billion for "Azadi March" in the past four months, revealed Jalil Jan. All registered workers (3.5 million) were asked to donate generously, at least Rs200 to Rs250 each, to raise maximum funds, he added. Some 3,000 councils, 92 councils from Peshawar in particular, have contributed even bigger than our expectations in KP, he said, adding that the party has also raised over Rs15 million through a fresh membership drive nine months back.

Shamsur Rehman Shamsi, JUI-F Secretary Finance, told the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that the party owns assets worth Rs28.6 million where it has over Rs26.6 million cash in hand. The party has generated through renewal of membership also some Rs11 million accordingly this year, he added.

KP former chief minister Akram Durrani, Haji Ghulam Ali, former president All Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, Zubair Ali, ex-president Tribal Chamber of Commerce, Senators Maulvi Faiz Muhammad, Talha Mehmood, Hafiz Hamdullah, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, MNA Abdul Wasey and Rashid Mahmood Soomro are the main financers for the party who paid over Rs50 million collectively and would take care of workers in Islamabad accordingly, revealed a senior JUI-F leader. JUI-F's estimated funds worth Rs1.1 billion are bigger than the PTI's 2014 dharna funds which were around Rs380 million, added the leader, seeking anonymity.

JUI-F top leaders say all the registered workers would proceed to Islamabad and 60 percent would be representing madaris. According to data Geo News/The News/Daily Jang exclusively obtained from the provincial home/Auqaf Department to the ministries of religious affairs, estimated 3.1 million students are pursuing a religious education in around 24,000 (registered & un-registered) madaris affiliated with Deobani School of thoughts under the leadership of Wifaqul Madaris al Arabia Pakistan (WMAP). The JUI-F has its affiliation with this school of thoughts but WMAP top leader Hanif Jalandhry and clerics of other school of thoughts made it clear that they would stay away from this march.

JUI-F leadership, Attaur Rehman in particular, claimed that they would bring adult students (above 18 years) to "Azadi March." JUI-F top leadership is also hopeful to pull thousands of students from 81 madaris of Islamabad, 301 from Punjab, 484 from KP and 210 madaris of Balochistan. Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Larkana, Sukkur, Quetta, Qilla Saifullah, Multan, Jhang, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Bannu are the main cities where the party hoped to receive maximum marchers. Women would not participate in this march, JUI-F leadership made it clear.

Though figures about the size of the expected crowd are conflicting, but intelligence agencies, local police and independent observers in Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Sukkur, Karachi & Dera Ismail Khan, Geo News/The News/daily Jang spoke to, strongly believe that the crowd could enter six digits if marchers are not stopped. Intelligence agencies' assessment suggested that "Maulana Fazlur Rehman can generate strength up to 70,000/- 50 percent of which would be from Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar."

But arrangements and communication made by the police and home departments telling that the road to Islamabad for "Azadi Marcher" is quite tougher. It is not clear yet either other workers of political parties, PPP, PML-N, ANP, PkMAP and JI, would join JUI-F's "Azadi March" in Islamabad. Their top leadership, Geo News spoke to, is still seeing, "which way the wind blows." These parties have yet to decide either to mobilise their workers for the march or not.

Once marchers knock Islamabad next week, the government plans to install more than 5,000 containers in twin cities, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, to stop protestors’ movement. Authorities of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) called out 8,000 policemen to Islamabad from outside the capital as well as 4,000 guards of FC. Some 8,000 police of Islamabad police would also guard the capital. The military would remain at the disposal of local police, if there comes any need. The ICT administration also asked for Rs50 million as fund to feed the policemen with their better patrol in the city. The political instability may caused a huge damage to already dwindling economy of the country in this "Azadi March," says Senator Faisal Javaid of PTI as PML-N's previous government claimed that PTI's 2014 dharna had cost the economy Rs1 trillion.

JUI-F leader Abdul Ghafoor Heideri told Geo News/The News/daily Jang that around 30,000 'salaars', now given basic training, would be overseeing security matters of "Azadi March," managing all the arrangements. Meanwhile, ECP's statistics showed that the JUI-F secured 760,000 votes in 2008 and 1.4 million votes in the 2013 and collectively 7.5 million votes (including MMA) in 2018 polls.