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Fazl widens attack on establishment over KP emergencyPakistan
The JUI-F chief’s row with the establishment now spans emergency rule, counterterrorism and mineral deals, as the government appeals for a ceasefire and his party plans protests across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 15 November.
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Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has sharpened his confrontation with Pakistan’s military establishment, turning a dispute over emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into a wider challenge covering counterterrorism operations, mineral resources and the armed forces’ role in public life. What began as opposition to the suspension of the elected provincial government has grown into a question about who governs the province, who controls its wealth and who decides its security policy.
The immediate dispute dates to 11 October, when emergency and Governor’s Rule were imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. President Asif Ali Zardari approved the federal cabinet’s recommendation under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, transferring executive authority in the province to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and setting up an 11-member advisory council. The federal government has cited security and administrative concerns for the step, while opposition parties have described it as an attack on provincial autonomy.
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Fazl rejected the move in the National Assembly on 28 October, arguing that the government was misusing the Constitution to remove an elected provincial administration. He also questioned the record of long-running military operations against militancy. He said his party had lost 250 workers in the fight against terrorism and argued that those sacrifices should be recognised rather than its loyalty questioned.
The argument has since taken an economic turn. Speaking on 3 November, Fazl said the natural resources of the former tribal areas, merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the 25th Constitutional Amendment in 2018, should not be sold off or depleted in the name of foreign investment. He said his party was not opposed to foreign investment but wanted the terms of agreements with foreign governments made public. He has also alleged that American interest in the region’s minerals is growing while China’s position is weakening, and he has accused the establishment of sabotaging investment under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Those claims have not been independently established.
He has further alleged that emergency measures in Kohat were being used as a cover for exploiting mineral wealth in the tribal belt, and that the closure of trade routes with Afghanistan has hurt local traders. Both points remain his allegations, with no official record cited in the reporting confirming them.
The government moved on Thursday, 12 November, to lower the temperature. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, speaking on Geo News programme Capital Talk, appealed to Fazl to end the standoff and called for a political ceasefire. He said Fazl should not find himself on the opposite side of the armed forces in the fight against terrorism, warning that such a split would be a loss for the country. Sanaullah said he would raise the matter with the prime minister and speak to Fazl directly.
The JUI-F’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, meanwhile, is preparing to take the dispute to the streets. Its provincial executive committee, meeting at the Mufti Mahmood Centre in Peshawar under provincial chief Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman, announced protests across the province on Sunday, 15 November, in support of Fazl’s position on mineral resources. The party demanded that the government publish all agreements with foreign countries on mineral exploitation and announced an awareness campaign across the province. Atta-ur-Rehman said the emergency appeared to be aimed at facilitating anti-encroachment operations rather than combating terrorism.
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