Fazl says parliament has no authority

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday said that parliament has no authority and has become a slave to the establishment.

“Elections in Pakistan are rigged and decisions are made by the establishment, not the people. We do not accept such a parliament which holds no value,” he said while addressing the Mufti Mahmood Conference at Baisakhi Ground in Dera Ismail Khan.

The JUIF chief said that even when Pakistan was divided, the will of the people was not respected. “Mufti Mahmood, leading a nine-party alliance, launched the Nizam-e-Mustafa movement against the stolen elections,” he recalled.

The Maulana claimed that Pakistan was once again becoming isolated in the region. “China’s trust in us is fading, India is already our enemy, and now Afghanistan is also being turned into an adversary. Our foreign policy has completely failed,” he said.

“We can play our role in stopping the war between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but for that, an enabling environment must be created, and the language of war must be silenced. War is in the interest of neither country; both must learn to coexist peacefully,” he added.

The JUIF chief said while it was easy to create justification for war, such actions cannot steer situations in the right direction. “There are elements in both countries who want to instigate conflict. The rulers must come out of their obsession with power and correct their foreign and domestic policies,” he stressed.

The JUIF chief ruled out recognition of Israel. “Once again, talks of accepting Israel are surfacing. But a nation cursed by Allah and His Messenger cannot be recognized under any circumstances. No one has the authority to recognize Israel,” he said.

He condemned the US role in the Gaza conflict, saying, “Trump claims credit for ceasefire and ending bloodshed, yet it was the United States that armed Israel with billions of dollars in weapons, leading to the martyrdom of 70,000 Palestinians and injuries to 150,000 others.”

“Even Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared Israel an illegitimate state -- one that Pakistan will never recognize,” Fazlur Rehman concluded.