Daily Times

The federal cabinet on Monday approved a summary seeking a ban on the ‘militant wing’ of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), a private TV channel reported quoting sources in the Cabinet Division.

According to the report, the government took the measure to avoid a discussion on the matter in the cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

The summary, moved by the interior ministry, has been approved through circulation. Under the circulation method, a summary is sent to all cabinet members who sign the copy to give their approval. However, the summary is also deemed approved after a stipulated period of time even if some members of the cabinet haven’t signed it.

Last week, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had said that the federal cabinet would take up the matter in its next meeting.

“Various source reports shared by our intelligence agencies and provincial governments with the Ministry of Interior [have] revealed that the JUI-F has established a militant wing, a private militia/Razakar force named ‘Ansar-ul-Islam’ to provide security to marchers for the Azadi March scheduled for October 27, 2019 and proposed sit-in in Islamabad from October 31, 2019,” the interior ministry had said in its summary sent to the cabinet.

Meanwhile, Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz has said Maulana Fazlur Rehman seems to want to be arrested so that he can become a ‘hero’, but the government has no intention to detain the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief. “Maulana Fazlur Rehman wants to be arrested so he can become a hero. [The government] does not want to give Maulana so much importance by arresting him,” he said in a statement. “Steps, in accordance with the law, will be taken to maintain law and order situation,” he added. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai also warned on Monday that Maulana Fazlur Rehman desires violence and bloodshed in the country to achieve his political aims. In a statement, he said Fazl can never make it to the office of the prime minister in his life, adding that JUI-F will not be allowed to play havoc with the democratic set-up.