JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman speaks at a party convention in Peshawar. SCREENGRAB
LAHORE:
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said that the issue concerning the provinces was essentially an issue of the National Finance Commission (NFC), arguing that the Constitution allows the NFC share to be increased but not reduced.
“When the house is on fire, there should be no talk of division,” Fazl said, adding that the country’s law and order situation was alarming.
The Maulana expressed these views during his visit to Lahore.
Against the backdrop of ongoing debate over creating new provinces and calls for administrative reforms, Fazl said the issue concerning the provinces was essentially the issue of the NFC, adding that the Constitution stated that the NFC share could be increased but not reduced.
Fazl said the JUI-F’s alliance with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was still limited to parliament and could not yet be described as a political alliance. “The alliance is only to the extent of parliament at present; it is not at the grassroots level,” he said.
He said the country’s law and order situation was alarming and the government’s writ had ended in three provinces. “The federation wants to take control of the mineral resources of the provinces,” he said.
He said that after the 18th Amendment, mineral resources were owned by the provinces, adding that “this is not being digested by them”. He said the 18th Amendment was also not being accepted with regard to the provinces’ revenues.
“There is neither peace, nor economy, nor democracy,” he said, adding that dummy assemblies were being created. “Our own land is red with blood, while you go abroad and enjoy red carpets,” he said.
Fazl said demands were being made to withdraw the law on the sanctity of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) so that people could be allowed to commit blasphemy. “We are up against such people,” he said.
“Our two provinces are burning. The common man cannot do labour, travel or work. You conduct operations, but the disease keeps spreading. At some point, acknowledge your own weakness,” he said.
He said that instead of taking offence at criticism, the state should recognise that it was formed by the people. “The state is made by the people, and without the people, the state is an empty shell,” he said.
Fazl questioned the prospects of economic development in the absence of peace and security, saying India had become the world’s fourth-largest economy.
“India’s foreign exchange reserves stand at $700 billion, while ours are $10 billion to $11 billion, and even those have been kept by borrowing,” he said.
The JUI-F chief further lamented that though colonialism has ended, the colonial system remained in place in practical terms. “We are hostage to the IMF and the World Bank. We are no longer the owners of our resources, and even decisions regarding our resources are being made by international institutions,” he said.
He said the country needed to assess whether the environment and preparations were currently conducive to creating new provinces.
