ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday blasted the government over the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), calling for a new Charter of Democracy to resolve the political crisis and warning that coercion and the concentration of power threatened the country’s political and constitutional order.
The government, however, defended the imposition of governor’s rule in KP, saying it would remain in place for six months, while the state of emergency in 12 districts would continue until peace was fully restored.
Speaking in National Assembly, the JUI-F chief urged the government and opposition to abandon confrontation and resolve their differences through dialogue, saying parliament was meant to represent the people but political tolerance was eroding.
“Pharaoh resorted to coercion. Pakistan belongs to all its citizens,” he said, warning against the concentration of power in the hands of military officers and generals. He added that he would rather die at the hands of the government than face condemnation by history.
He accused the government of using terrorism as a pretext to remove the KP government and lamented that his party’s sacrifices had been mocked after it disagreed with the government’s position.
A fresh Charter of Democracy, he argued, was needed to unite political forces in defence of constitutional government and prevent further instability.
Recounting his efforts to avert confrontation during the PTI’s October long march towards Islamabad, he said he had held detailed discussions with Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah and other political leaders to broker a settlement.
The prime minister subsequently invited him to dinner and sought his assistance in ending the march, he said.
However, at 10:30pm, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar telephoned him to say the cabinet had failed to reach an agreement and governor’s rule would be imposed, Rehman said, adding that opportunities for compromise had been squandered.
Questioning the government’s measures in KP, he asked whether constitutional procedures had been used to justify what he considered an abuse of the Constitution.
He also severely criticised the transfer of power and referred to constitutional principles, including Article 2A.
His criticism extended to Balochistan, where he said the situation was far worse than in KP, citing reports of a commissioner’s abduction and the alleged abduction of the Khan of Kalat’s son.
Taking a swipe at Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Maulana drew laughter in the House before declaring that if the government was bent on humiliating them at all costs, he would rather die at its hands than face the verdict of history.
“If you want to humiliate us at all costs, we would rather die at the hands of the government than face the verdict of history,” Maulana quipped, looking directly at the flamboyant Defence Minister.
Taking the floor, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan assailed the Centre over the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in KP, denouncing the measures as political victimisation aimed at undermining the province’s two-thirds majority mandate.
He said party lawmakers, workers and the three sisters of Imran Khan had been detained, adding Khan had also been kept in solitary confinement for 375 days, with neither his family nor party members allowed to meet him.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, however, said PTI representatives had walked out of several dialogue committees, citing inconclusive talks on Oct 2 and 3 over the party’s demands, including access to Khan.
Responding to the opposition, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said governor’s rule in KP would be lifted in six months, while the state of emergency in 12 districts would remain until complete peace was restored.
He rejected allegations of confrontation, saying the prime minister remained committed to reconciliation and had consistently sought to bring all political parties on board.
He said the Rs160 billion grant for KP would be released in phases, beginning with police capacity-building to combat terrorism, followed by health, education and infrastructure projects, including those stalled for over 12 years.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026