Maulana Fazlur Rehman elected unopposed leader of JUI-F

Maulana Fazlur Rehman has been elected unopposed as the leader of Jamiat Ulemae Islam Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) for the next five years, ARY News reported.

The central general council’s electoral meeting for intra-party elections of Jamiat Ulemae Islam Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) was held at Mufti Mahmood Centre in Peshawar, attended by approximately 1,500 members from across the country.

In the meeting, Maulana Fazlur Rehman was once again elected unopposed as the leader of JUI for the next five years, while Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri was elected unopposed as the General Secretary.

The Jamiat Ulemae Islam Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) was originally established in 1945 by Shabbir Ahmad Usmani as a pro-Pakistan offshoot of the Jamiat Ulemae Hind. The party later split into different factions, with the most prominent being JUI-F (Fazlur Rehman group) and JUI-S (Samiul Haq group). The JUI-F faction, led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, emerged in 1988.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman became the leader of JUI-F in 1980, following the death of his father, Mufti Mahmud. He has been a significant political figure in Pakistan, known for his influence and leadership within the party.

Political experts argue that political parties in Pakistan, and in South Asia, have become dynastic, which undermines democratic principles by concentrating power within a few families, leading to potential corruption, lack of accountability, and limited opportunities for new leaders to emerge.

After the intra-party election, Maulana Fazlur Rehman held a press conference and said that elections should be held in the country and true representatives of the people should come forward as the current parliament is not qualified for such major amendments.

The government is moving towards major amendments for political purposes, said he while referring to proposed constitutional amendments. Reforms should be introduced in the judiciary, leading to a constitutional court, says Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

We have said that reforms related to the judiciary should be introduced instead of focusing on individuals, said Fazlur Rehman. Amendments should be brought by consensus to avoid political turmoil.