Federal government has decided to take action against Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Mufti Kifayatullah over his remarks against Pakistan Army, local media reported on Monday. According to details, the decision to take action against Mufti Kifayatullah was finalized in a meeting of government spokespersons and PTI leaders headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Anti-military statements, government’s decision to take action against Mufti Kifayatullah https://t.co/BMiTtUTL1R
— Pak Papers (@DailyPakPapers) December 28, 2020
According to sources having knowledge of the discussions during the meeting, the prime minister has directed the government’s spokespersons to effectively respond to a narrative against Pakistan Army by the opposition parties from the platform of the PDM.
The prime minister further directed the participants of the meeting to inform the masses as to how JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has accumulated his assets.
In October 2019, Mufti Kifayatullah was arrested from Islamabad for issuing “inflammatory statements against the national institutions”. According to sources GVS spoke to in Islamabad, Mufti Kifayatullah was arrested by the law enforcement agencies after he was issuing ‘reckless political statements’ which may have posed a threat to public order. The allegation has been rejected by the JUI-F leadership, they have termed the arrest as ‘political victimization’.
#MuftiKifayatullah:"Hang all Pak Generals upside down,cut the hands of General #AsimBajwa… "
Anger of #Pakistan's awam against #PakistanArmy for corruption, loot,destruction of democracy for 72years in open.
On recovery path or continue disaster with PakArmy remains Supreme? pic.twitter.com/MZq81SKCM9
— Kiran Chauhan (@KiranChauhan71) December 28, 2020
Some analysts believe that Mufti Kifayatullah has been arrested for his vocal and upright position against some ‘retired army officers’ who appeared with him on national TV in a live talk-show. Mualana has said to have insulted them which result in his surprise arrest.
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However, sources informed GVS that Mufti Kifayatullah has been accusing the agencies and armed forces of political engineering and social polarization in talk-shows. He reportedly held the army responsible for everything bad in the country.
JUI-F’s anti-establishment narrative
Recently, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that it was very well understood who is being addressed when the word “establishment” is used. “This is not an issue, the media has made it an issue,” he said while responding to a question during a press conference in Islamabad.
Rehman — who is also the chief of the 11-party opposition alliance called the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — had convened a meeting of the heads of the alliance’s constituent parties to review the prevailing political situation in the country earlier today.
“We respect the country’s institutions, but if the names of politicians can be taken […] then the name of someone belonging to the country’s institutions can also be taken. This is not a crime.”
He added that some were respectful while others were more pragmatic in this regard, before refusing to take more questions on the issue.
Rehman’s comments came days after PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said he was “shocked” when he heard PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s speech during the PDM’s first rally in Gujranwala in which Nawaz named the country’s top military leadership for orchestrating his ouster among other things.