New Legislation is an Insult to the 26th Constitutional Amendment: Maulana Fazlur Rehman

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has stated that the government's amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act is an insult to the 26th Constitutional Amendment and a blot on the face of democracy.

In a press conference in Islamabad, he said that detaining anyone on suspicion for 90 days and extending the detention period is akin to establishing civil martial law in the country and is a stain on democracy.

He further added that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N), who champion democracy and the sanctity of the vote, are today passing an act that is tantamount to tarnishing the face of democracy with their own hands.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman questioned whether the government has considered which provisions of the 26th Constitutional Amendment it is now willing to reverse and whether today’s amendment act goes against the spirit of the Constitution.

The JUI-F leader raised the question: "Is it in line with the Constitution that yesterday you took back all the powers that posed a threat to democracy? Today, by passing this act, the government has contradicted its own actions; this is an insult to the Constitution and Parliament."

The JUI-F chief also stated that the Waqf Properties Act, previously passed for Islamabad’s jurisdiction, was already declared un-Islamic by the JUI, and that this is not just the party’s view but a collective opinion of the Muslim community.

He said that they would not accept any un-Islamic law passed by the government or any un-Islamic decision by the Supreme Court, as the judiciary is bound to rule according to the Quran and Sunnah. He asserted that they are democratic people and will continue their constitutional struggle.

In response to a question, he mentioned that although he has disagreements with various parties, he maintains relationships with them, and there is no bitterness.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman further stated that if they reconcile with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and restore normal politics, he believes it would be a positive change in Pakistani politics.