Fawad Chaudhry Urges Government to Review Policy on Maulana Fazlur Rehman

LAHORE: Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman is not only a political leader but also a religious one, and that the government should therefore review its policy towards him. Speaking to journalists in Lahore, he also asked Maulana Fazlur Rehman to withdraw his harsh statements, and said the government too should take positive steps.

According to Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan has achieved a unique standing on the international stage over the past few years. He said the recognition the country’s leadership is receiving across the world is rarely matched. Our leaders are welcomed everywhere, whether they visit China or the United States, he said, and both Saudi Arabia and Iran listen to Pakistan. In his view, the United States also gives weight to Pakistan’s position, and this standing should be maintained.

The former minister stressed that to keep this position abroad, the country must put its internal affairs in order and improve the political climate. Tensions in the country have risen sharply over the past four years, he said. He noted that petrol had reached Rs400 and that inflation had added to the hardship of ordinary people. He warned that if conditions continued like this, the privileges enjoyed by the ruling class would also come to an end. Fawad Chaudhry added that the state had long been sustaining a particular privileged class, and that if we do not review our affairs, sustaining it will also become difficult.

On Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fawad Chaudhry said there was no point in talks with the PTI leadership, the Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen, or Salman Akram Raja. He said talks should instead be held with leaders who are in Kot Lakhpat jail, including Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Dr Yasmin Rashid, as well as other detained leaders. He also called for a softer approach towards Hammad Azhar and other leaders. He said talks could succeed if relief were given to the detained PTI leadership.

On the question of new provinces, Fawad Chaudhry said that since Muhsin Naqvi raised the idea, the PML-N had launched a campaign against him. In his account, the PML-N and the PPP are opposed to new provinces, while the PTI supports them. He said the government should discuss this issue with the PTI.