ISLAMABAD - What makes Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Isam-Fazl (JUI-F), so important for the PPP and the PML-N leadership in choosing a caretaker prime minister, even though he is ceased to have any constitutional role whatsoever in this process?
This question has been making rounds and rounds in the federal capital on Sunday. It followed series of meetings of the leaders of the two main political players PPP and PML-N with JUI (F) chief. Those observers who know Maulana closely and are well versed with his style of politicking were not convinced that his no confidence over the list of nominees proposed by the Leader of Opposition Ch Nisar Ali Khan for the caretaker prime minister was the content of his concern. They were of the view that Maulana was upping his ante to secure more political concessions from PML-N in their negotiations for a potential electoral alliance.
Politically, he is very attractive to the PML-N because of political followings in the Punjab province, a crucial support the PML-N needs to win elections in the province. This is not all he wants, in return he wants PML-N support in elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and FATA, and in fact so is the interest of the PML-N. He openly conveyed his reservations to the PML-N leaders including Raja Zafarul Haq and Senator Ishaq Dar called during a meeting here Sunday about its decision to drop the name of Justice (retd) Shakirullah Jan, many say his name was included in PML-N’s list of three nominees on the request of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Jammat-e- Islami. He was ostensibly so furious that he made a mention of his reservations on PML-N’s decision to drop Shakirullaj Jan’s name to PPPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim during their meeting today. Other angle that met the eyes of the observers who shared their observations with this scribe in the background discussions was crucial role of JUI (F) in the resolution of political crises in Balochistan. JUI (F)’s important presence in the Senate and its role in the future legislation was another factor that some of the observers believed makes Maulana politically important for the major players the PPP and the PML-N. On the other hand, conspiracy theorists looked it from different angle saying that hype being created by Maulna on the issue of PML-N’s dropping the name of Justice (retd) Shakirullah Jan was just a trailer and he had actually conveyed his displeasure to the PML-N in an effort to cultivate the ANP for electoral alliance both in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and FATA. The PML-N leaders Raja Zafarul Haq and Ishaq Dar were so apologetic over decision of dropping the name of Shakirullah Jan that they told the JUI (F) that it was result of some misunderstanding and top PML-N leadership would respond to his concerns upon the return of PML-N Chief Mohammad Nawaz Sharif from Switzerland. The conspiracy theorists also believed that Maulana Fazlur Rehman being an opposition party in the outgoing National Assembly as well as the Senate could still create serious crises in the parliamentary process of choosing a caretaker prime minister with consensus. They argued that both the JUI(F) and MQM which is also part of the opposition benches both in the National assembly and the Senate could together cause serious constitutional crises if any of them moved to the Supreme Court on the questions of formation of a parliamentary committee to choose a caretaker prime minister with consensus out of four names proposed two each by the Leader of the House in the outgoing National assembly and the Leader of the Opposition respectively.