Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday reiterated allegations of rigging in the Feb. 8 general elections, claiming “external influences” had played a role in his party’s defeat.
Addressing a rally in Karachi as part of the JUIF’s campaign against alleged rigging, he alleged the security establishment had denied his party its mandate under pressure from the U.S., which is “angry” over his engagements with Palestine’s Hamas and the Afghan Taliban. He further alleged the military establishment “always bowed to U.S. priorities,” reiterating that his crime was “supporting Hamas.”
Recalling he had met the Hamas leadership in Doha in November 2023 and reiterated the JUIF’s support for its actions, he claimed this had made the U.S. angry. “On the one hand, it’s our establishment, which bows to U.S. priorities and on the other, it was me who has been penalized for supporting Muslims,” he claimed. The JUIF chief also recalled a visit to Afghanistan a few weeks before the general elections, maintaining it was meant to resolve differences between the neighboring nations.
However, he alleged, this had angered the U.S. because it wanted to weaken the Afghanistan government and “our efforts were creating hurdles” to this goal. “So, should I quit supporting Muslims and the Islamic world only to become a member of the National Assembly? This isn’t possible,” he said.
Rejecting the results of the Feb. 8 general elections, Fazl alleged “manipulation of votes” and accused state institutions of denying the public its mandate and the incumbent rulers of reaching Parliament through deals. “We are loyal to Pakistan, but there is no value of national loyalty here,” he claimed. “Democracy has been eliminated from the country,” he said and demanded free and fair re-elections.
“These are fake assemblies. These are fake not only because the elections were fraudulent or the vote count was bogus but also because the seats were decided by sale and purchase. Deals were made for the provincial government to the presidency,” he claimed.