RASC News Agency: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Pakistan, asserted that the Pakistani government must assume control over the Afghanistani Taliban and strategically manage its relationship with the militant group. Speaking in Pakistan’s Parliament, Fazlur Rehman castigated the government and military for their policies regarding regional conflicts and domestic crises. Although a known supporter of the Taliban, he acknowledged that Pakistan has, at times, miscalculated its approach toward the group. Referring to Pakistan’s entanglement in regional conflicts, he queried:
“We have embroiled our military and government in wars that have branded us a hub of terrorism. Have we truly extricated ourselves from that legacy?”
He urged Islamabad to adopt a more proactive stance in managing the Taliban rather than distancing itself from the group. Fazlur Rehman further accused the Pakistani establishment of deflecting blame onto Afghanistan to obscure its own policy failures, declaring:
“Whenever an Afghanistani is killed in battle, we unleash all our fury upon the Afghanistani people.” Drawing historical parallels, he recalled former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s visit to South Asia during General Pervez Musharraf’s tenure, noting, “Clinton refused to set foot in Pakistan visiting for merely two hours while devoting considerably more time to India.”
He also referenced Pakistan’s post-9/11 cooperation with the United States, asserting, “Pakistan handed over its military bases to the Americans. Yet, have the Afghanistani Taliban ever decried U.S. warplanes operating from our soil?” Fazlur Rehman lambasted the Pakistani government’s fruitless negotiations with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and revealed that he had personally journeyed to Afghanistan at the Taliban’s invitation prior to the last general elections only to see his mediation efforts thwarted. He warned of Pakistan’s escalating regional instability, stating, “For seventy years, we have been mired in the Kashmir conflict. Now, we are on the verge of losing control over yet another border.”
Despite his longstanding support for the Afghanistani Taliban, Fazlur Rehman’s recent remarks underscore mounting frustrations and policy contradictions within Pakistan’s political and military establishment regarding its handling of the Taliban and broader regional security challenges.
