Fazlur Rehman's enigmatic claim

On November 13 last year when Maulana Fazlur Rehman called off his 'Azadi March' in Islamabad, many a mind wondered what led to the abrupt end of the fortnight-long sit-in. He had come to the capital to force Prime Minister Imran Khan's resignation, leaving a seemingly beleaguered government with no option but to reach out to him for talks because of intermediaries. Then, on that day he just packed up. But before he left the capital he announced his 'Plan B' (road blockades across the country). Three months on, he seems set again on the warpath against the PTI-led coalition government. His party would again take to the streets, starting from Karachi. And as he announced his second 'march', he has made a stunning claim. According to him, he ended his Islamabad sit-in 'on the assurance that Prime Minister Imran would immediately step down and new elections would be held three months after his resignation'. "I urge Chaudhry Pervaiz Ilahi to disclose the secret he is carrying as an amanat (trust)," according to the maulana. In fact, the day Maulana Fazlur Rehman ended his sit-in, Chaudhry Pervaiz Ilahi had stated that "he cannot disclose the conditions which led to the end of the sit-in, since those are a sacred trust with him". According to another news report, he was promised "three big resignations and snap polls". Of course, the Chaudhrys of Gujrat had held a number of meetings with the JUI-F chief during his sit-in. But the question is whether or not the Khan-led government, which has always been on the same page with establishment, was so petrified as to succumb to this pressure. Who would know better the futility of such sit-ins than Imran Khan himself whose four-month long sit-in at the relatively more strategic site could not bring down the PML-N government. But to this there is also a counter-argument: the powers that be can go to any length to secure the nation's capital. Take the case of reinstatement of the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. In his new book, The Battle for Pakistan, renowned political analyst Shuja Nawaz claims, "It was a short conversation ... He [General Kayani] wanted to inform me [Aitzaz Ahsan] that the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani would address the nation at 3 or 4am. It might be useful to break the journey and hear him". The rest is history.

In November 2019, when some 10,000 JUI-F workers and supporters staged a sit-in on Kashmir Highway, other opposition parties didn't send in their workers but their leaders did show up with Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the stage. But that comradeship didn't last long; they fell out over the issue of amendment to the Army Act. The Maulana has beckoned to them once again, and given the price-hike-triggered prevalent public resentment against the Khan government they may respond affirmatively. The JUI-F chief has again not taken the main political opposition into confidence about his forthcoming protest plan. He hasn't shut doors of cooperation on the two parties (PML-N and PPP) and would talk to them "if they approach him for the purpose." Although they too want the prime minister to resign, their statements make the probability of reluctant or token participation in JUI-F protest rallies and sit-ins even greater. According to the announced programme, the JUI-F would take to the streets, beginning from Karachi on February 23, to be followed by a national convention in Islamabad on March 1 and a public meeting in Lahore on March 19. The JUI-F's chances to bring down the government, however, are not very bright. A mid-term election is not a serious proposition - an in-house change is possibly the only viable option before the anti-Imran Khan forces, and the seemingly disgruntled government allies could play a critical role in this regard.