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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Fazlur Rehman’s deft political moves |
| 2004-06-21 |
| Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Leader of the Opposition and chief of the biggest component of Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, is a suave politician, much more so than other opposition leaders — for instance the PPP leadership — and definitely a cut above the Jama’at-e Islami amir, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who has emerged as the real hard-liner in the MMA. Consider Mr Rehman’s press conference on June 19. Mr Rehman told the press that the slain Deobandi cleric from Banuri Town mosque, Mufti Shamzai, was killed because he had agreed to mediate between the government and the renegade Wazir tribesmen led by Nek Mohammad. Mr Rehman’s argument becomes clear from what he had to say about the Wana operation in general. According to him, the Americans scuttled the deal between Islamabad and the tribesmen. Read in conjunction, this implies that the Americans first bumped off Shamzai and then took out Nek. This is in line with the rightwing thesis on not just acts of terrorism but also sectarian violence. At the extreme end of this reasoning lies the argument that Osama bin Laden is a mythical figure and the September 11 attacks were the doing of the Israeli Mossad. Is Mr Rehman then a chip of the old fundo block or is he different from others, including Qazi Hussain Ahmed? To understand that, look at his position on two other issues. Mr Rehman, says a fly on the wall, has been co-opted by the British to mediate with the ‘moderate’ Taliban. This British initiative, backed evidently by the Americans, also has Kabul and Islamabad on board. And Mr Rehman is smack in the middle of it. Which, incidentally, is why he is Leader of the Opposition. Smart gent, Mr Rehman, we say. But there is more. On the India-Pakistan peace process, Mr Rehman is clear that it is important for the process to continue and move forward. Last year when Mr Rehman went to India with a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam delegation, his statements took the Indians by surprise. He was logical, rational, mild, eloquent and very convincing. He won hands down. It was no surprise that he had been briefed before he went to India; neither was it surprising that one could hear the JI gnashing its teeth and its leaders telling people privately that they did not agree with Mr Rehman’s approach on the issue. Mr Rehman, of course, has much to lose if this dispensation is packed off. His party is in power in the NWFP and is part of the coalition in Balochistan. And he has perfected the art of compartmentalising issues and taking each on its merit. On the Wana issue, he has to keep an eye on his Pashtun vote-bank in the NWFP and therefore will fulminate against the operation while doing nothing to stop it (the NWFP government says South Waziristan is federally administered tribal area and therefore outside its jurisdiction!). However, that does not stop him from trying to get the moderate Taliban to support Kabul. This is why his rival JUI leader, Sami-ul Haq is so peeved with him and thinks the MMA government in the NWFP has sold the Taliban down the river and done nothing to stop the federal government from cleaning up South Waziristan. As for the peace process, it helps Mr Rehman keep his linkages with Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, the parent Deobandi organisation of JUI. It also helps him retain the necessary link with the GHQ. Mr Rehman is a good strategist and it is important to see what he does, not just what he says. Maybe, Mr Ahmed also needs to draw a few lessons from Mr Rehman. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #1 Mr. Rehman will soon learn that when you try to please everyone, you acquire enemies as well as friends. |
| Posted by: B 2004-06-21 8:41:27 AM |