Without taking any names, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday claimed that the “head of a party” was “extremely upset” about not being appointed the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The head of a party is extremely upset over being denied a role in the new setup in KP and not getting the governorship,” Naqvi alleged while speaking to journalists in Lahore. He was seemingly referring to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who has been critical of the federal government over the imposition of governor’s rule in KP.
This politician, Naqvi said, had remained “dependent on the establishment for decades to advance his political career”.
“These are the same politicians who remained in politics for decades with the support of the establishment, and this politician even relied on the establishment to arrange air tickets for the members of his party,” he further alleged.
He said such politicians had little justification for criticising others now, particularly after having benefitted from the same system they currently denounced. “Political differences are part of politics. But instead of using inappropriate language and making allegations, political leaders should speak on the basis of arguments and facts,” the minister said.
Separately, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz flayed Fazlur Rehman for what she described as his support for those backing terrorism, saying she had not expected such a stance from a senior politician who had himself been a victim of terrorism. In a statement on X, the chief minister said one would not expect a senior politician like Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who has himself been a victim of terrorism, to support those who back terrorism. Instead of holding accountable those responsible for the ruin of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through incompetence, ineptitude, and corruption, speaking in their favor is deeply regrettable, she added.
She said, those in whose support statements are being issued should be asked: In thirteen years, did they even attend the funeral of a single martyr? On the contrary, they provided shelter to terrorists, nurtured them, and supplied them with resources, safe havens, and land from their own province to launch attacks on Pakistan.
The CM said, these are the same people who piled up heaps of incompetence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, destroyed the lives of its people, and offered them up to terrorism. The province’s precious resources were squandered on sit-ins and protests, and thirteen valuable years were sacrificed to corruption and ineptitude.
She said, the officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army are even today taking bullets to the chest to eradicate the cancer of terrorism. Every day, some mother’s piece of liver, some sister’s brother, and some woman’s husband returns home wrapped in the green crescent flag. “Rather than saluting the blood of these martyrs and standing with your army, siding with those who obstruct the path to eliminating terrorism is unworthy of you,” she added. “Your party has itself endured the wounds of terrorism; your companions have attained martyrdom.
And those in whose support you stand today are the same ones who, until yesterday, used the most indecent language against you and launched personal attacks. For the victims of terrorism to stand with those who back terrorism is, at the very least, beyond my comprehension,” CM Maryam said. She said, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, no one but PTI itself is responsible for the end of its own government.
The criticism comes after Fazl slammed the imposition of an emergency in the areas of FATA and agreements with the United States, saying the measures aim to seize mineral reserves and open the country’s resources to American investment.
Addressing a conference, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said imposing an emergency in the areas of FATA was tantamount to seizing its mineral reserves. He said the matter was not limited to mineral resources, adding that agreements with the United States were being used in an attempt to establish American control over Pakistani resources and pave the way for investment.