Maulana Fazlur Rehman Makes Sharp Remark on PM Shehbaz’s Foreign Visits
PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has made a pointed remark about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s foreign visits, questioning the political circumstances surrounding his international engagements.
Addressing a workers’ convention in Peshawar, Fazlur Rehman said Shehbaz Sharif was a prime minister who travelled around the world and suggested that he took the army chief along because it helped ensure his acceptance abroad.
“Pakistan’s soil is red with blood, and you are enjoying red-carpet receptions around the world,” Fazlur Rehman said, criticising the government over the country’s security situation.
The JUI-F chief said he had no objection to anyone becoming army chief, Chief of Defence Forces or field marshal. However, he said it was unfortunate that decisions which should fall within Parliament’s domain had been entrusted to a single individual within the powerful establishment.
He alleged that Parliament had effectively been removed from the implementation process, while approval of future decisions had also been made conditional on the federal government.
شہباز شریف بے چارہ وزیراعظم ہے پوری دنیا میں جاتا ہے اور اگر وہ قابل قبول ہوگا تو آرمی چیف کو ساتھ لیکر جائے گا اگر ساتھ وہ نہ جائے تو اسکو کوئی ہاتھ نہ ملائے ۔ مولانا فضل الرحمان pic.twitter.com/3Q4lkSvcX3
— Basharat Raja (@BasharatRaja786) August 23, 2026
Fazlur Rehman stressed that state institutions should not exceed their defined constitutional roles, maintaining that Parliament was the country’s supreme institution.
He said a government could survive under a non-Muslim ruler if it provided justice and fairness, but a Muslim government based on oppression and injustice could not survive for long.
Referring to the ongoing protest in Rawalakot, he said people had been sitting on the roads for three months, while the administration and rulers were unwilling to engage with them.
On the debate over creating new provinces, Fazlur Rehman said there was currently neither preparation nor a suitable environment for establishing new provinces.
He alleged that an attempt was being made to forcibly impose the wishes of a particular institution.
The JUI-F chief reiterated that the country was being governed by a minority and claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled abroad with the army chief because, without him, foreign counterparts might not even be willing to shake his hand.
