Fazal-ur-Rehman (politician)

Pakistani politician

Fazal ur Rehman (; born 19 June 1953) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Jamiat Ulema e Islam (F). He is also the president of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of political parties which ousted then prime minister Imran Khan through a no confidence motion in 2022. He has been a member of the National Assembly since February 2024 and previously served in that position between 1988 and 2018. He was also the Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007. He is a supporter of the Taliban government in Afghanistan and has demanded for its international recognition. In the 1980s, he was part of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), which was formed to end the military regime of General Zia ul Haq. Rehman is a pro Taliban politician, known for his close ties to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. When in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2004 to 2007, his party passed the 'Hasba Bill' which was later declared illegal and unconstitutional. Through this bill, he believed that he would be following in his father Mufti Mahmud's footsteps, as he tried to implement 'Nizam e Mustafa', which his father struggled for throughout his political life. However, it was declared unconstitutional by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry. After defeat in the 2018 Pakistani general election, Rehman was ejected from the National Assembly and failed to win major political support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bagging only 10 of the 99 seats in his home turf. Alleging election fraud, 11 opposition political parties formed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) appointing Rehman as the president of this movement.

Rehman was born on 19 June 1953 (1 September according to another report) to a Marwat Pashtun family, in the village of Abul Kheel in Dera Ismail Khan. His father, Mufti Mahmud, was an Islamic scholar of the Deobandi branch and a politician who served as the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 1972 to 1973. His early education was from Millat High School, Multan and was a student of Mussarat Baig and Syed Iqbal Shah. He attained a Bachelor's degree (B. A) in 1983 from University of Peshawar and completed his master's degree at Al Azhar University Cairo. During his early religious training and education (Ilm Us Saraf, Ilm Un Nahv, Logic) he remained the disciple of Mufti Muhammad Essa Gurmani and Molana Abdul Ghaffor Gurmani of Shadan Lund before studying Sharah e Mata e Aamil and Hidayat un Nahv with Muhammad Ameer of Chudwan in a Madrassa at Jhok wains Multan He was a student of Abdul Haq Akorwi, Hasan Jan, and Syed Sher Ali Shah during his Shahadat ul Alamia at Darul Uloom Haqqania.

Rehman began his political career as the secretary general of Jamiat Ulema e Islam in 1980 at the age of 27. This was after the death of his father Mufti Mahmud who was the leader of the party before his death. Jamiat Ulema e Islam later split into two factions in the mid 1980s with the Jamiat Ulema e Islam (F) led by Fazal. Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1988 Pakistani general elections for the first time on from D. I. Khan seat. for inciting the citizens of Pakistan against the armed forces of Pakistan and for trying to overthrow the government of Pakistan. Later in March 2002, Fazal was set free and the cases against him were withdrawn. Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2008 Pakistani general elections for the sixth time on Muttahida Majlis e Amal ticket from two constituencies, NA 24, D. I. Khan which is his traditional constituency and NA 26, Bannu In September 2008, he was elected chairman of the Kashmir committee of the National Assembly of Pakistan. Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan for the fourth time on Muttahida Majlis e Amal ticket from Bannu constituency, In August 2017, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi gave him the same status again. In March 2018, he became head of the Muttahida Majlis e Amal which was revived in December 2017. Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2018 Pakistani general elections from Dera Ismail Khan's constituencies, NA38 and NA 39 but did not win. On 27 August 2018, several opposition parties including Pakistan Muslim League (N), nominated him as a candidate in the 2018 presidential election. On 4 September 2018, he clinched 184 electoral votes behind Arif Alvi (352) and ahead of Aitzaz Ahsan (124) in the election.

According to leaked diplomatic cables, in 2007 Rehman invited then US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, to a dinner in which he sought her support in becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan and expressed a desire to visit America. The ambassador wrote in her notes that Fazl sees himself as a Kingmaker. Fazl also reportedly told the ambassador that his votes were up for sale.

Rehman opposed the Huqooq e Niswan bill in 2016 claiming that it was un Islamic. Rehman also rejected the Women's Protection Bill in 2016, which protects domestic violence victims, claiming that the judicial execution of Mumtaz Qadri was wrong and declared that he was a martyr, rallying other right wing religious parties to do the same.

On numerous occasions, Rehman has displayed severe opposition to Imran Khan and his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI). In 2013 Rehman declared voting for the PTI as haram (religiously prohibited), asserting Khan to be supported by the West and the Jewish lobby and explicitly calling him an agent of "Americans, Jews, Ahmadis and a person of ill character". Former JUI F leader Muhammad Khan Sherani took to Twitter and said that when he asked Fazl ur Rehman does he have proof that Imran Khan is a Jewish and Indian agent, Fazal responded with "it's just a political statement".

In late 2019 Rehman led a march towards Islamabad with the intent to sit in, until PM Imran Khan resigned from office. rs The Azadi March which translates as "Freedom March" started from Sukkur on October 27, 2019, and travelled Sindh and Punjab; other political parties also joined the march which reached Islamabad on October 31, 2019. Rehman also addressed the participants at different points on the journey. However, he could not reach his aims and ended the march on 16 November 2019.

In 2020, Rehman was unanimously elected as the leader of the coalition of political parties against the PTI government, the Pakistan Democratic Movement. Nawaz Sharif even favoured this appointment to be on a permanent basis but was opposed by others.

Meanwhile, around 63 JUI F workers in July were killed in a suicide attack not long before the previous attack that was directed towards the party's workers' conference in Khar, Bajaur.

Navīd i Inqilāb : Maulānā Faz̤lurraḥmān Ke Inṭarviyūz kā Majmūʻah, 1987, 117 p. Collection of interviews on the political conditions in Pakistan. Edited by ʻAbdulvadūd Shāhid. Insānī Huqūq, 2000, 136 p. On human rights as interpreted in Islam, with particular reference to the role of NGO's in Pakistan. Edited by Raḥīm Ḥaqqanī. Z̤arb i Darvesh, 2000, 446 p. Interviews on his anti US movement; includes newspaper editorials and columns praising the movement. Edited by Riyāz̤ Durrānī. K̲h̲ut̤bāt i Qāʼid i Jamʻīyat, 2002, 2 volumes. Collection of speeches in defense of radical Islamic movements in different countries and against alleged American designs to rule the world. Edited by Momin K̲h̲ān ʻUs̲mānī. Mushāfihāt, 2017, 3 volumes. Collected interviews. Edited by Amīrzādah K̲h̲ān Yūsufzaʼī.

ʻAbdulqayyūm Shaik̲h̲, Maulānā Faz̤lurraḥmān Ka Siyāsī Safar, 2004, 514 p. On his political struggle. Momin K̲h̲ān ʻUs̲mānī, Maulānā Faẓlurraḥmān : Shak̲h̲ṣiyyat O Kirdār, 2017, 808 p. Biography. Maulānā Muḥammad Qāsim Ḥaqqānī, Mīr i Kārvān̲ Maulānā Faẓlurraḥmán : Duniyāʼe Saḥāfat Kī Naz̤ar Men̲, 2017, 188 p. Collection of news articles on the politics of Faz̤lurraḥmān, published in various newspapers.