Dera Ismail Khan – October 16: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday declared that Pakistan’s parliament has “lost its importance,” urging his party workers to prepare for a movement towards Islamabad.
Speaking at the Mufti Mehmood Conference in Dera Ismail Khan, Fazlur Rehman said the current parliament had become “a servant of the powerful,” claiming it no longer represented the people’s voice.
“The parliament has lost its dignity; it has become subservient to others. The establishment no longer holds the same position, and we reject these artificial institutions,” the JUI-F chief said.
He asserted that his party stands for an “Islamic, constitutional, and people-centered democracy” guided by the Quran and Sunnah. “If a system lacks Islamic principles and instead promotes subservience to foreign powers, we reject such a system,” he said.
Fazlur Rehman urged the youth to “wake up” and follow the political vision of the late Mufti Mehmood, rather than Western or non-Islamic models of politics.
Addressing party supporters, he said: “The CPEC route belongs to you. Be ready to move toward Islamabad.”
Referring to past political movements, the JUI-F chief recalled that when “rigging took place in the 1977 general elections,” it was Mufti Mehmood who led the nationwide protest movement. “Our stance is clear — we will never accept stolen mandates,” he added.
He reiterated his party’s rejection of the 2018 and 2024 general election results, calling them “rigged and manipulated,” and vowed to continue the struggle until “the people of Pakistan regain their right to vote freely.”
Fazlur Rehman emphasized that JUI-F’s politics was rooted in “ethics and Islamic values,” distancing his movement from what he described as “politics of abuse and indecency.”
He also criticized efforts to normalize relations with Israel, stating: “When voices rose to recognize Israel, it was your strength that defeated that idea. As long as we live, no one will dare recognize Israel.”
Citing Pakistan’s founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Fazlur Rehman said Jinnah had termed Israel an “illegitimate state,” and those principles must be upheld.
The JUI-F chief concluded by declaring that he had directed his workers to “remain ready” for a possible march toward Islamabad.
