Fazl-ur-Rehman (politician)

Fazl-ur-Rehman
MNA
Emir of Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F)
Assumed office
1988
Leader of the Opposition
In office
25 May 2004 – 15 November 2007
President Pervez Musharraf
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz
Preceded by Benazir Bhutto
Succeeded by Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Assumed office
1 June 2013
In office
18 November 2002 – 18 November 2007
Constituency NA-24 D.I.Khan
In office
18 March 2008 – 31 May 2013
Constituency NA-26 Bannu
In office
2 December 1988 – 12 October 1999
Constituency D.I.Khan
Personal details
Born (1953-06-19) 19 June 1953[1]
Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan
Nationality Pakistani
Political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)
Other political
affiliations		 Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) (2002–2008)

Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman (Urdu: مولانا فضل الرحمٰن‎; born 19 June 1953) is a Pakistani politician who is currently a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and the President of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F). Rehman previously served as Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007 during which time he was the Secretary General of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal.

Rehman rose to national prominence in 1988 and has been elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan since 1988. Rehman and his party remained coalition partners of the federal government during first and second ministry of Benazir Bhutto, Gillani ministry and third Sharif ministry.

Early life

Rehman was born on 19 June 1953 in Dera Ismail Khan.[1][2] According to another report, he was born on 1 September 1953.[3]

Rehman hails from a religious and political family Dera Ismail Khan. His father, Mufti Mahmud was an Islamic scholar and politician who served as the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 1972 to 1973.[4]

Political career

Rehman begun his political career as the secretary general of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 1980 at the age of 27 after the death of his father Mufti Mahmud who was the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam before his death.[4][5]

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam later split into two factions in the mid 1980s with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), the main faction led by Rehman.[4][5][6]

Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in Pakistani general elections, 1988 for the first time on from D.I.Khan seat.[5][4] He then made connections with Afghan Taliban.[5]

Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in Pakistani general elections, 1990 for the second time on from D.I.Khan sea however couldn't win the election.[5]

Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in Pakistani general elections, 1993 for the second time on Islamic Jamhoori Mahaz ticket from D.I.Khan seat.[5] Rehman was appointed as the chairman of the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs in National Assembly of Pakistan.[4][5]

Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in Pakistani general elections, 1997 for the fourth time however couldn't win the election.[5]

Rahman led several anti-American protest, and pro-Taliban rallies in the major cities of Pakistan following the war in Afghanistan in 2001. He criticised then President of United States George W. Bush, and threatened to launch jihad, against the United States if the bombings continued. He also criticised and warned then President of the Pakistan Pervez Musharraf that he would be overthrown if he continued to support for the “War on Terror”.[5][4] In October 2001, Pervez Musharraf placed Rahman under house arrest in his native village Abdul Khel[7] for inciting the citizens of Pakistan against the armed forces of Pakistan and for trying to overthrow the government of Pakistan. Later in March 2002, Rehman was set free and the cases against him were withdrawn.[4][5]

Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in Pakistani general elections, 2002 for the third time on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket.[5] He won on two seats, NA 24 and NA 25, the later was vacated.

Upon winning the election, Rehman became a potential candidate for the post of prime minister of Pakistan however was not appointed.[5][4]

He served as the leader of the opposition from 2004 to 2007.[8]

In 2007, Rehman invited then US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, to a dinner in which he sought her support in becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan and expressed a desire to visit America.[9]

Rehman ran for the seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in Pakistani general elections, 2008 for the sixth time on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket from two constituencies, NA-24, D.I. Khan which is his traditional constituency and NA-26, Bannu[10] Rehman was elected as the member of the National Assembly of Pakistan for the fourth time on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ticket from Bannu constituency,[5] however he lost the election in D.I. Khan constituency.[5] By 2008, Rehman distanced himself from Taliban and called himself a moderate.[5]

Public image

Rahman was generally considered a pro-Taliban politician in Pakistan, known for his close ties to Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[6][4][9] However he called himself a moderate with no connections with the Islamic extremists and religious hardliners.[6] He also called for imposition of Sharia law in Pakistan in the past however later formed alliances with secular political parties in Pakistan.[5][11]

He is also known for changing his ideologies and alliances with the political parties in Pakistan.[5]

Assassination attempts

In 2011, Rehman had been the target of two assassination attempt one after another but remained unhurt in both.[12][13] First attack came when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a convoy while Rehman was heading towards Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway[14] and one day later, he was attacked again when a suicide bomber blew himself near a convoy of Rehman in which twelve people were killed.[13]

In 2014, at least two people were killed and dozens injured when a suspected suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a JUI-F rally in Quetta. Rehman car was damaged however he was unhurt in the attack. Banned militant group Jundallah (Pakistan) claimed responsibility for the attack.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 Guidère, Mathieu (2012). Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism. Scarecrow Press. p. 365. ISBN 9780810879652. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Detail Information". 23 March 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Detail Information". www.pildat.org. PILDAT. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Profile: Maulana Fazlur Rahman". BBC. 6 November 2002. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Maulana Fazlur Rehman". DAWN.COM. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 "PARTY PROFILES: The party’s on -DAWN - Herald Election 2008;". Dawn. 7 September 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "Maulana Fazl, Samiul Haq under house arrest". DAWN.COM. 8 October 2001. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  8. ↑ Trivedi, Dinesh (3 June 2007). "India, Pak MPs clash over draft declaration on Kashmir". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  9. 1 2 Walsh, Declan (30 November 2010). "Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari 'Prepared for Assassination' – WikiLeaks Cables Profiling Husband of Late Benazir Bhutto Say He Has Named His Successor Should He Also Be Killed". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  10. ↑ "32 titanic clashes on the cards". DAWN.COM. 18 February 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "JUI to strive for Sharia through ballot, says Fazl". DAWN.COM. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  12. ↑ Sherani, Syed Ali Shah | Hafeezullah (12 May 2017). "25 killed as Deputy Chairman Senate Haideri's convoy hit by explosion in Mastung". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  13. 1 2 "Fazl escapes second attack in two days". DAWN.COM. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  14. ↑ Newspaper, From the (30 March 2011). "Suicide bomber targets Maulana Fazl’s convoy; 10 killed". Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  15. ↑ Shah, Syed Ali (23 October 2014). "Two killed as JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman escapes suicide attack in Quetta". Dawn.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
Preceded by
Benazir Bhutto		 Leader of the Opposition
2004–2007 		Succeeded by
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
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