Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), said that several no-go clauses from the amendment draft were successfully struck through negotiation. “We brought the clauses one by one up for discussion and thus made them go,” Fazl asserted.
Earlier the government presented a draft in order to amend the constitution before the court comprising of 56 clauses, however during heavy dialogue and discussion the total number came to 22 clauses. Fazlur Rehman himself disclosed that the JUI added five extra clauses where the Senate and the National Assembly also gave its agreement on a final draft based on 27 amended clauses.
Rehman also reconfirmed his party commitment to its opposition force in the political landscape, saying, “We have been in the opposition and will continue to play the role of opposition in the future.” He underscored that the party has succeeded in keeping its differences within reasonable limits in this process, due to seriousness on constructive political discourse.
In addition, Fazlur Rehman wished the newly appointed Chief Justice good luck and hoped he would perform well in his job. He said the stand on interest-based transactions was a principled one and said, “The issue of interest has been a key policy for us.” He said that appeals which remained unresolved for a year would be sent to the Sharia Court, saying, “We will continue to observe Islamic principles in governance.”.
Fazlur Rehman also stated that interest-based businesses would be phased out from all sectors by January 2028, which would amount to a greater shift in Pakistan’s economic policy along the lines of Islamic law. The purpose of this was supposed to be in bringing about a more balanced financial system in Pakistan, one of the long-held goals in the promotion of Islamic financial practices by the party.
