Fazal-ur-Rehman | |
|---|---|
فضل الرحمان | |
_(cropped).jpg) Fazal-ur-Rehman inc. 2016 | |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 25 March 2004 – 15 November 2007 | |
| President | Pervez Musharraf |
| Prime Minister | Shaukat Aziz |
| Preceded by | Benazir Bhutto |
| Succeeded by | Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi |
| President ofPakistan Democratic Movement | |
| In office 20 September 2020 – September 2023 | |
| Emir ofJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) | |
| Assumed office 1995 | |
| Vice President | Atta-ur-Rehman |
| Preceded by | Abdullah Darkhawasti |
| General Secretary ofJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) | |
| In office 1980–1995 | |
| Preceded by | Mufti Mahmud |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Ghafoor Haideri |
| President ofMuttahida Majlis-e-Amal | |
| In office 14 December 2017 – 27 July 2018 (asJamaat-e-Islami part ways from MMA) | |
| Chairman of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir | |
| In office August 2013 – 31 May 2018 | |
| In office 16 September 2008 – 24 March 2013 | |
| President | Asif Ali Zardari Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Yousuf Raza Gilani Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Nawaz Sharif Shahid Khaqan Abbasi |
| Member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 2008–2013 | |
| Chairman of Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1993–1996 | |
| Member of theNational Assembly of Pakistan | |
| Assumed office 29 February 2024 | |
| Constituency | NA-265 Pishin |
| In office 1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018 | |
| Constituency | NA-24 (D.I. Khan) |
| In office 17 March 2008 – 31 May 2013 | |
| Constituency | NA-26 (Bannu) |
| In office 18 November 2002 – 18 November 2007 | |
| Constituency | NA-24 (D.I. Khan) |
| In office 16 October 1993 – 5 November 1996 | |
| Constituency | NA-18 Dera Ismail Khan |
| In office 2 December 1988 – 6 August 1990 | |
| Constituency | NA-18 Dera Ismail Khan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1953-06-19)19 June 1953 (age 72) |
| Political party | Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam |
| Other political affiliations | Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)(2002–2008) |
| Children | Asad Mehmood[1] |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Lutfur Rehman (brother) Atta-ur-Rehman (brother) |
| Alma mater | Darul Uloom Haqqania Jamia Qasim Ul Uloom |
Faazl-ur-Rehman[a] (born 19 June 1953) is aPakistaniIslamic scholar andpolitician, who serves as the president ofJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F). He is also a member of theNational Assembly since February 2024 and had previously served in that position between 1988 and 2018. He was also theLeader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007. In the 1980s, he was part of theMovement for the Restoration of Democracy, which was formed to end themilitary regime ofGeneral Zia-ul-Haq.[2][3]
He was previously the president of thePakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of political parties which ousted thenprime ministerImran Khan through ano-confidence motion in 2022.[4]
Fazal-ur-Rehman is a strongTaliban supporter, known for his close ties to theIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[5][6][7] He has called for imposition ofSharia in Pakistan and is regarded by some as anextremist, though he has tried to re-brand himself asmoderate.[5] Being a follower ofMahmud Hasan Deobandi who campaigned for liberation against theBritish Raj but later restricted his members from armed struggle after establishing a political party, Rehman opposed armed struggle to impose sharia laws as it leads to extremism in society.[8] When in power inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2004 to 2007, his party passed the 'Hasba Bill' which was later declared illegal and unconstitutional.[9][10] Through this bill, he believed that he would be following in his fatherMufti Mahmud's footsteps, as he tried to implement 'Nizam-e-Mustafa', which his father struggled for throughout his political life. However, it was declared unconstitutional byChief Justice of PakistanIftikhar Chaudhry.[11]
After defeat in the2018 Pakistani general election, Rehman was ejected from the National Assembly andfailed to win major political support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, winning 10 of the 99 seats in his home turf. Alleging election fraud, 11 opposition political parties formed the PDM[12] appointing Rehman as the president of this movement.[13]
Rehman was born on 19 June 1953[14] (1 September according to another report) to aPashtun family,[15] in the village ofAbdul Khel inDera Ismail Khan.[16][17] His father,Mufti Mahmud, was anIslamic scholar of theDeobandi branch and a politician who served as theChief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 1972 to 1973.[6]
His early education was from aHigh School inMultan, where he was a student of Mussarat Baig and Syed Iqbal Shah.[citation needed] He attained aBachelor's degree(B.A) in 1983 fromUniversity of Peshawar and completed hisMaster's degree atAl-Azhar University inCairo.[18] During his early religious training and education inarabic grammar andIslamic logic he remained the disciple of Mufti Muhammad Essa Gurmani and Molana Abdul Ghaffor Gurmani ofShadan Lund, later studyingSharah-e-Mata-e-Aamil andHidayat-un-Nahv with Muhammad Ameer of Chudwan in a madrassa inMultan.[19] He was a student ofAbdul Haq Akorwi,Hasan Jan, andSyed Sher Ali Shah during his Shahadat-ul Alamia atDarul Uloom Haqqania, and subsequently completed hisDars-i Nizami with distinction in 1979.[20][18]
Rehman began his political career as the secretary general ofJamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 1980 at the age of 27. This was after the death of his fatherMufti Mehmood who was the leader of the party before his death.[6][21] He was arrested multiple times duringGeneral Zia ul Haq's martial law between 1980 and 1985.[22]
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam later split into two factions in the mid-1980s with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) led by Fazal-ur-Rehman.[6][21][5] Fazal-ur-Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the1988 Pakistani general elections for the first time on from D.I. Khan seat.[21][6] He then made connections with Afghan Taliban.[21] Fazal-ur-Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the1990 Pakistani general elections for the second time on from D.I. Khan seat but did not win the election.[21] Fazal-ur-Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the1993 Pakistani general elections for the second time on Islamic Jamhoori Mahaz ticket from D.I. Khan seat.[21] Fazal-ur-Rehman was appointed as the Chairman of the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs in National Assembly of Pakistan.[6][21] Fazal-ur-Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the1997 Pakistani general elections for the fourth time but did not win the election.[21]
Fazal-ur-Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the2002 Pakistani general elections for the third time onMuttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket.[21] He won on two seats,NA-24 andNA-25, the later was vacated. Upon winning the election, Rehman became a potential candidate for the post of prime minister of Pakistan but was not appointed.[21][6] He served as the leader of the opposition from 2004 to 2007.[23]
Fazal-ur-Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the2008 Pakistani general elections for the sixth time on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket from two constituencies, NA-24, D.I. Khan which is his traditional constituency and NA-26, Bannu[24] In September 2008, he was elected chairman of the Kashmir committee of the National Assembly of Pakistan.[25] Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan for the fourth time on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket from Bannu constituency,[21] but he lost the election in D.I. Khan constituency.[21] By 2008, Fazal-ur-Rehman distanced himself from Taliban and called himself a moderate.[21]
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In May 2014, Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif gave him the status of a federal minister for being the chairman of special committee of the National Assembly on Kashmir.[26] In August 2017, Prime MinisterShahid Khaqan Abbasi gave him the same status again.[26] Upon the dissolution of the National Assembly on the expiration of its term on 31 May 2018, he ceased to hold the status of a federal minister.[27] In March 2018, he became head of theMuttahida Majlis-e-Amal[28] which was revived in December 2017.[29] Fazal-ur-Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2018 Pakistani general elections from Dera Ismail Khan's constituencies, NA38 and NA 39 but did not win.[30]
On 27 August 2018, several opposition parties includingPakistan Muslim League (N), nominated him as a candidate in the2018 presidential election.[31] On 4 September 2018, he clinched 184 electoral votes behindArif Alvi (352) and ahead ofAitzaz Ahsan (124) in the election.[32]
Fazal-ur-Rehman opposed the Huqooq-e-Niswan bill in 2016 claiming that it was un-Islamic.[33] Fazal-ur-Rehman also rejected theWomen's Protection Bill in 2016, which protectsdomestic violence victims, claiming that the judicial execution ofMumtaz Qadri was wrong and declared that he was a martyr, rallying other right-wing religious parties to do the same.[34]
In October 2001,Pervez Musharraf placed Fazal-ur-Rehman underhouse arrest in his native village Abdul Khel for inciting the citizens of Pakistan against the armed forces of Pakistan and for trying to overthrow the government of Pakistan.[35]
Later in March 2002, Fazal-ur-Rehman was set free and the cases against him were withdrawn.[6][21]
On numerous occasions, Rehman has displayed severe opposition toImran Khan and his political party, thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). In 2013 Fazal-ur-Rehman declared voting for the PTI asharam (religiously prohibited), asserting Khan to be supported by the West and theJewish lobby and explicitly calling him an agent of "Americans, Jews, Ahmadis and a person of ill character".[36][37]
In late 2019 Fazal-ur-Rehman led a march towardsIslamabad with the intent tosit-in, untilPM Imran Khan resigned from office.[38][39] The Azadi March which translates as "Freedom March" started from Karachi on 27 October 2019, and travelled Sindh and Punjab; other political parties also joined the march which reached Islamabad on 31 October 2019. Fazal-ur-Rehman also addressed the participants at different points on the journey. However, after extensive negotiations he ended the march on 16 November 2019.[40]
In 2020, Fazal-ur-Rehman was unanimously elected as the leader of the coalition of political parties against the PTI government, the Pakistan Democratic Movement.Nawaz Sharif even favoured this appointment to be on a permanent basis but was opposed by others.[41]
Mufti Abrar, the Fazal-ur-Rehman's spokesperson, stated that on 31 December 2023 the politician's convoy was fired upon from multiple sides at Yarik interchange inDera Ismail Khan, Fazl-ur-Rehman's home city.[42][43][44] While passing throughDI Khan, the JUI-F chief's convoy wasambushed. In response to a question about his safety, he gave assurance that the veteran was in safe hands. President of thePakistan Muslim League-Nawaz,Shehbaz Sharif, responded to the incident by denouncing the attack on Fazal-ur-Rehman's convoy and expressing relief over the politician's safety.[45]
On 5 December during a press appearance in Islamabad, the politician commented:
"There is no police in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, and Lakki Marwat. Can the polls be staged in this situation of unrest?".[46]
Condemning the attack on the JUI-F chief, party leaderHafiz Hamdullah termed the incident as a nefarious move to prevent the party from taking part in the electoral process.[47] Taking note of the reports, theInterior secretary has requested a report on the event. “Miscreants will not be allowed to spread chaos and sow discord in the country,” said the spokesperson of theMinistry of Interior.[48]
Fazal-ur-Rehman has been widely acknowledged as a "pragmatic" and "masterful" politician, earning praise from leading Pakistani journalists.Hamid Mir,Suhail Warraich,Saleem Safi, and Aniq Naji have commended his keen political acumen, referring to him as a "master at the art of politics."Wusatullah Khan has described him as the most brilliant politician of his time, while his legendary aptitude for deal-making and backdoor negotiations has solidified his influence across Pakistan's political landscape.[49]
Suhail Warraich has written that his ability to navigate complex political terrains ensures his continued relevance, regardless of shifting political tides. Nicholas Schmidle, an American journalist, claimed that he was the most "sophisticated" and "effective" politician in Pakistan’s political sphere. He is also sometimes referred as to the "university of politics in Pakistan" alluding to the fact that he is unrivalled in his political skills.[50][51]
He is a supporter of theTaliban government inAfghanistan and has demanded for itsinternational recognition.[52] Fazal-ur-Rehman led several anti-American protests and pro-Taliban rallies in the major cities of Pakistan following thewar in Afghanistan in 2001. He criticizedPresident of United StatesGeorge W. Bush, and threatened to launchjihad against the United States if the bombings continued. He also criticized and warned President of the PakistanPervez Musharraf that he would be overthrown if he continued to support thewar on terror.[21][6]
According toleaked diplomatic cables, in 2007 thenUS Ambassador to Pakistan,Anne Patterson, requested a meeting with Fazal-ur-Rehman. Reportedly, Fazal-ur-Rehman asked her not to support any political party in politics, and questioned her support forBenazir Bhutto as Prime Minister. When she denied doing so,Abdul Ghafoor Haideri interjected that no one could become the PM without the tacit support of Americans in Pakistan. The ambassador wrote in her notes that Fazal-ur-Rehman sees himself as aKingmaker.[7][53]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Reacting to the incident, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack on Fazl's convoy and expressed relief over the politico's safety.
"There is no police in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, and Lakki Marwat. Can the polls be staged in this situation of unrest?" The senior politician wondered while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on December 5.
Condemning the attack on the JUI-F chief, party leader Hafiz Hamdullah termed the incident as a nefarious move to prevent the party from taking part in the electoral process.
"Miscreants will not be allowed to spread chaos and sow discord in the country," said the spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior.
| National Assembly of Pakistan | ||
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| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition 2004–2007 | Succeeded by |
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| Founder | ||
| Founded | 2002 (initial) 14 December 2017 (refounded) | |
| Ideology | ||
| Political position | Right-wing to far-right | |
| Religion | Islam | |
| National affiliation | ||
| Colors | Green, White, Black | |
| Election symbol | Balance, Book | |
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| National | |
