ISLAMABAD:Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in the Senate on Wednesday that JUI-F leaders had previously urged the government to impose governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, prompting protests from the party’s lawmakers.
Addressing PTI senators, Naqvi said JUI-F leaders had approached the government before, asking it to remove the provincial government through governor’s rule. Senator Kamran Murtaza and other JUI-F members objected, while the chair repeatedly called for order and urged lawmakers not to interrupt.
Naqvi made the claim while responding to criticism from JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, including remarks about the interior minister’s recent visit to Iran. Naqvi denied that the trip concerned negotiations for a defence agreement, saying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had assigned him responsibilities related to the ongoing regional crisis.
The minister said he had respected Fazl personally, but argued that the JUI-F leader’s recent comments had damaged that regard. He also accused the party’s leaders of using religion for political and personal gain and criticised them for, in his view, supporting the state when they benefited from it and denouncing it when they did not.
Naqvi warned that further remarks would draw a response, saying a line had been crossed. JUI-F senators continued to protest as the exchange intensified.
