ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday reaffirmed his support for the journalist community regarding the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 (PECA), and suggested that President Asif Ali Zardari may have endorsed the bill under external pressure.
Speaking to members of the Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) at the Parliament House in the federal capital, Fazl said he would hold consultations with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on the controversial legislation.
“The president faced such pressure that he signed the bill into law immediately,” the JUI-F chief remarked, adding that journalism and politics had always been interlinked. He reiterated his stance against amendments to PECA and emphasized that the journalist community and media organizations should have been taken into confidence before the law was passed.
Addressing PRA members, Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated that had the JUI-F accepted the government’s draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the country could have faced a situation akin to martial law. However, he noted that his party’s demands were accepted.
He insisted that JUI-F had no vested interests in supporting the 26th amendment, explaining that the bill was reduced from 56 to 26 clauses.
Expressing concern, he pointed out that the state’s writ was absent in some areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, highlighting the failure to ensure peace.
Furthermore, Maulana Fazl claimed that Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue had been altered due to international pressure, leaving Kashmiris isolated. He also voiced concerns over deteriorating relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, adding that it was frequently highlighted that Afghans crossing the border were involved in terrorist activities within Pakistan.
He said Pakistan was fighting others’ proxy wars while its ties with its neighboring country were worsening. Referring to the Afghan interim government, Fazl questioned why those who were once supporters of Pakistan were being turned into its enemies.
Discussing the pressure on religious seminaries, he asserted that madaris were being unfairly accused of money laundering, while, in reality, politicians were the ones involved in financial misconduct.
He further warned that if decisions continued to be made solely by the establishment, the country’s problems would multiply. He stressed that the government must engage with politicians rather than sidelining them.
“The government should not push politicians to the extent where no way out is left. The country’s system cannot function if a handful of individuals are making all the decisions,” he remarked.
While speaking to PRA members, JUI-F’s Senator Kamran Murtaza revealed that a consensus had been reached on appointing Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as Pakistan’s Chief Justice. However, later, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership backed out of the commitment.
He further disclosed that the agreement was made during discussions on the 26th amendment at Jati Umra in Lahore, with Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar being a witness to it.
Senator Murtaza claimed that it was PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that failed to honor their commitment regarding Justice Shah’s appointment, whereas JUI-F remained steadfast in its stance.
