Fazl ur-Rahman

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Maulana Fazl ur-Rahman (Urdu: مولانا فضل الرحمان ) is the son of Mufti Mahmud (Former provincial Chief Minister). He is Ameer (President) of his political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Assembly of 'Ulama-e-Islam). He is also the General Secretary of the Religious Alliance, Muttahidah Majlis-e-'Amal (Council of United Action) or MMA.He is originally from the Abdulkhel Banyala area in Dera Ismail Khan District of North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. He serves as the opposition leader in the National Assembly of Pakistan.

[edit] Life

Fazl ur-Rahman is son of well known religious and political leader Maulana Mufti Mahmood. Due to mass public support and a large vote bank in the Dera Ismail Khan district, Maulana Mufti Mahmood was the lone leader in Pakistan who had defeated the then invincible Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in the 1970 general elections. Of the four general elections that Fazl ur-Rahman contested since 1988 from his national assembly constituency, NA-18, he won two with convincing margins. In the two he lost - in 1990 and 1997 - were, as his supporters put it, more because of the engineered results that entrusted heavy mandates to the Sharifs of Lahore on both the occasions. Fazl ur-Rahman's politics, like his father's, has been at odds with the Muslim League. Fazl ur-Rahman remained in the camp of the political alliances and parties that were opposed to Nawaz Sharif's League. Only once did he contest the election in alliance with the PML, in 1990, and then too he lost.

Fazl ur-Rahman built his public image by engaging Zulfaqir Ali Bhutto's daughter Benazir Bhutto with the Taliban during her second term as the prime minister in the mid 90's. He earned his nickname, "Mulla Diesel" or "Maulana Diesel", after allegations of his involvement in a fuel sale scandal became public. He is widely disrespected amongst political commentators, such as Shahid Masood, and masses for his role as leader of opposition. He is also believed by many to be the person chiefly responsible for breakup of ARD and helping Musharraf with a fake opposition.

In February 18, 2008 elections, Fazl ur Rahman lost his seat from his home town Dera Ismail Khan. Fazl, however, won a seat from Bannu while his brother Maulana Atta ur Rehman won a National Assembly seat in Dera Ismail Khan kum Tank. His party JUI currently has 6 National Assembly seats, 14 seats in NWFP provincial assembly, and 10 and 2 in Baluchistan and Punjab Assembly.