In a sharp critique of his former allies now in the federal government, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday labeled the current members of Parliament as “fake representatives” of the people.
Fazlur Rehman, who has consistently claimed that the February 9 general elections were “rigged,” continues to demand fresh polls to allow the public to elect their genuine representatives. Following the 2024 elections, the JUI-F leader distanced his party from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), citing allegations of vote rigging, interference, and manipulation of the election results.
Having previously led the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — the multi-party opposition alliance that successfully ousted former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022 — Rehman is now reportedly in discussions with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to strategize on pressuring the government for new elections.
Addressing a traders’ convention in Peshawar, the JUI-F chief criticized the current government for neglecting the needs of the people, escalating taxes, and failing to address the economic and security crises. He pointed out that Pakistan is regressing compared to other countries in the region, and he mocked the government by saying, “the only thing that has not been taxed yet is breathing.”
The ruling coalition is also facing opposition from other quarters, including Jamat-e-Islami (JI), which has been advocating for reduced taxes. JI recently ended a nearly two-week-long protest sit-in in Rawalpindi after what it described as “successful negotiations” with the federal government.
