Fazal-ur-Rehman (politician)

Fazal-ur-Rehman
فضل الرحمان
Leader of the Opposition
In office
25 March 2004 – 15 November 2007
PresidentPervez Musharraf
Prime MinisterShaukat Aziz
Preceded byBenazir Bhutto
Succeeded byChaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
President of Pakistan Democratic Movement
In office
20 September 2020 – September 2023
President of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Assumed office
20 March 2018
President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)
Assumed office
1980
Preceded byMufti Mahmud
Chairman of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir
In office
August 2013 – 31 May 2018
In office
16 September 2008 – 24 March 2013
PresidentAsif Ali Zardari
Mamnoon Hussain
Prime MinisterYousuf Raza Gilani
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
Nawaz Sharif
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
Member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs
In office
2008–2013
Chairman of Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs
In office
1993–1996
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Assumed office
29 February 2024
ConstituencyNA-265 Pishin
In office
1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018
ConstituencyNA-24 (D.I. Khan)
In office
17 March 2008 – 31 May 2013
ConstituencyNA-26 (Bannu)
In office
18 November 2002 – 18 November 2007
ConstituencyNA-24 (D.I. Khan)
In office
16 October 1993 – 5 November 1996
ConstituencyNA-18 Dera Ismail Khan
In office
2 December 1988 – 6 August 1990
ConstituencyNA-18 Dera Ismail Khan
Personal details
Born (1953-06-19) 19 June 1953 (age 71)
Abdul Khel, NWFP, Pakistan
Political partyJamiat Ulama-e-Islam
Other political
affiliations
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) (2002–2008)
ChildrenAsad Mehmood[1]
Parent
RelativesMaulana Lutf ur Rehman (brother)
Atta-ur-Rehman (brother)

Fazal-ur-Rehman (Urdu: مولانا فضل الرحمان; born 19 June 1953) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F).[2] He is also the president of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of political parties which ousted then prime minister Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion in 2022. He has been a member of the National Assembly since February 2024 and previously served in that position between 1988 and 2018. He was also the Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007. He is a supporter of the Taliban government in Afghanistan and has demanded for its international recognition.[3] In the 1980s, he was part of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), which was formed to end the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq.[4]


Rehman is a pro-Taliban politician, known for his close ties to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[5][6][7] He has attempted to re-brand himself as a moderate without connections to religious extremists and hardliners.[5] In the past, he has called for imposition of Sharia in Pakistan. Being a follower of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi who campaigned for liberation against the British Raj but later restricted his members from armed struggle after establishing Political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Rehman opposed armed struggle to impose shariah laws as it leads to extremism in society.[8] When in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2004 to 2007, his party passed the 'Hasba Bill' which was later declared illegal and unconstitutional.[9][10] Through this bill, he believed that he would be following in his father Mufti Mahmud's footsteps, as he tried to implement 'Nizam-e-Mustafa', which his father struggled for throughout his political life. However, it was declared unconstitutional by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry.[11]

After defeat in the 2018 Pakistani general election, Rehman was ejected from the National Assembly and failed to win major political support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bagging only 10 of the 99 seats in his home turf. Alleging election fraud, 11 opposition political parties formed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) [12] appointing Rehman as the president of this movement.[13]

  1. ^ Hussain, Javed (7 August 2018). "MMA announces name of Fazl's son as nominee for NA deputy speaker post". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Anyone killed by US is a 'martyr': Fazlur Rehman". The Express Tribune. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Pakistan's Islamic parties push for Taliban recognition in Afghanistan". Deutsche Welle. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Maulana's style of politics". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference dawn/herald2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc/6nov2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference theguardian/30nov2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Armed struggle for Shariah enforcement un-Islamic: Fazl". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  9. ^ Hussain, Shahid (2005). "State's ruling alliance passes Hasba Bill". Gulf News.
  10. ^ "Text of Hasba bill". DAWN.COM. 16 July 2005. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Supreme Court Blocks Hasba Bill". All Things Pakistan. 15 December 2006. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Politics of alliances and PDM". The Express Tribune. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Maulana Fazl unanimously appointed PDM chief". The Express Tribune. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

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