by Kalbe Ali in Dawn, 22 Dec 2020
ISLAMABAD: Two federal ministers on Monday slammed Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman, accusing him of being hypocrite and corrupt. They also blamed him for using the name of Islam for his personal gains and politics.
Addressing a joint press conference, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur and Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda accused the JUI-F chief of being involved in corruption.
Mr Gandapur announced plans to drag the Maulana to the court of law, claiming that he had not responded to any of queries put to him. He also announced that the government would soon confiscate the ‘benami’ properties of the JUI-F chief, saying that legal formalities in this regard had already been initiated.
He recalled all the accusations he had made earlier before the media, including a meeting of the Maulana with Ajit Doval, Indian national security adviser. He alleged that the JUI-F chief had been in contact with some international powers during his party’s “Azadi march” which, the minister claimed, had sabotaged the Kashmir cause.
The minister accused the Maulana of receiving foreign funding to ignite sectarian terrorism in the country. The JUI-F chief was trying to put pressure on the government because he knew that the noose was being tightened around him, he added.
Mr Gandapur showed to reporters a copy of the statement of assets the Maulana had submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan, saying that it showed six huge residential units in Dera Ismail Khan. “Apart from the Maulana himself, those who live in these houses included his two brothers and two sons, but they have no sources of earning,” he claimed.
Faisal Vawda alleged that the JUI-F chief had accumulated his wealth through dubious sources. “He claimed to have six houses worth Rs2.5 million each, but that is an incorrect statement,” he said, adding that the value of these properties was much higher than being claimed.
The minister challenged the Maulana to resign and launch a long march to Islamabad. “What do you think, we will give you permits to sell diesel or regularise your benami assets or anything; no, nothing of this kind will ever be done by us,” he said while addressing the JUI-F chief.
“We are warning you that the drama staged by you in the name of religion to deceive the masses and your plan to get to power by risking the lives of children will fail,” he added.
The minister said the government had reservations over the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement’s public meetings because they were causing the spread of coronavirus.
He said that it was the responsibility of the media and concerned citizens to crosscheck all information being provided about corrupt practices and ill-gotten wealth of the JUI-F chief.
He accused the Maulana of blackmailing the successive governments for the past 30-40 years. But, he added, Prime Minister Imran Khan would not bow to any such blackmailing.
Meanwhile, another news conference was later held by Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz who reiterated his claim that the opposition parties were pressurising the government to get relief in the corruption cases against their leaders.
He highlighted all the 13 amendments proposed to the NAB ordinance by the parliamentarians belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
“The main crux of these amendments was to escape NAB inquiries,” he said, adding that the government would not bow to any pressure tactics or threats of a long march by these “corrupt elements”.
Mr Faraz said the government would continue to move ahead over the accountability process and expressed the confidence that the looted public money would be recovered.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1597152/fazl-accused-of-committing-graft-inciting-violence
