Speaking in Sukkur, Fazlur Rehman said Pakistan was facing a serious economic crisis and called on the government to explain where the country currently stood. He demanded that an in-camera parliamentary session be convened to review the country’s economic, defence and security situation.
The JUI-F chief said India had become the world’s fourth-largest economy and stressed that Pakistan’s situation should be presented honestly before the nation. He also called for serious consideration of the situation in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Referring to the recent conflict with India, Fazlur Rehman said JUI-F had supported the armed forces during the war and that Allah had granted success. He urged political leaders not to raise the issue of dividing provinces, saying it would create further divisions among the people.
He said Sindh was not prepared to accept the creation of new provinces and claimed that the concerns raised by JUI-F during the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) had not been addressed. He questioned the progress made on establishing police and administrative structures in the merged areas.
Fazlur Rehman also expressed concern over discussions regarding canals and water resources, urging the authorities to avoid policies that could create conflict among the provinces. He said there would be no compromise on the rights of Sindh’s people, water and resources.
“Dividing the provinces is equivalent to dividing the nation,” he said, calling for equal treatment of all provinces and greater focus on public issues.
The JUI-F chief also rejected what he described as government-defined standards of loyalty and treason. He said his party had supported the state when necessary but had also struggled against military rulers in the past, including Ayub Khan and Pervez Musharraf.
Fazlur Rehman said Pakistan had been moving backwards for 25 years and that the country’s law and order situation had deteriorated. He maintained that the right to govern belonged to those who received the people’s vote and trust.
He further called for clear and serious policies in Pakistan’s relations with India, China, Iran and Bangladesh, warning that irresponsible statements could cause further damage to the country.
The JUI-F chief said the state should behave like a mother and prove this through its actions. He urged the authorities to protect provincial rights and unite the nation instead of creating divisions.
Fazlur Rehman also called for a shift in political debate from individuals to the country’s system and policies, saying that the fundamental issue was not any single person but the system and policies governing the country.