With both the government and the main opposition PTI knocking on his door, Maulana Fazlur Rehman is once again being cast as the man who can defuse a potential confrontation between the two sides.
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who → knock → sides
But the question is: what leverage does the veteran politician actually have to bring them to the table?
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politician → have → table
Going by the numbers, somewhat less than he once did.
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he → go → numbers
His JUI-F holds just 10 seats in the National Assembly, 18 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 12 in Balochistan Assembly.
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F → hold → Assembly
In KP, it sits in opposition to a PTI government, and in Balochistan too it is on the opposition benches.
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it → sit → benches
Its seven members in the Senate, however, still make it a force to be reckoned with in the upper house.
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it → make → house
This arithmetic has led some observers to believe that, as the Maulana has neither a direct role nor significant representation in the two provincial governments, he is in no position to pressure the government and PTI.
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he → lead → government
While some feel that he lacks the parliamentary numbers to exercise any real influence over either side, the Maulana has proven himself time and again to be an expert in the ‘art of the possible’
PM Shehbaz Sharif’s Adviser on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, has already ruled out the possibility that the JUI-F chief could bring political temperatures down.
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chief → feel → temperatures
“We have met Maulana Fazlur Rehman but he did not give assurance that he will bring both sides [the government and the PTI] on table for dialogue,” he said.
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he → meet → dialogue
In addition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry recently claimed that PTI ranks seemed divided on the Maulana’s intervention, and therefore may not accept whatever the JUI-F chief suggests.
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chief → claim → whatever
PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Junaid Akbar, however, said on Thursday that the party had authorised the JUI-F chief to “mediate”, though he was quick to add that the Maulana had so far not conveyed any government offer.
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Maulana → say → offer
Some believe both sides are looking for face-saving: the PTI does not actually want to take its protest march to Islamabad, and the government does not want another bloody clash in the federal capital.
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government → believe → capital
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, however, said if anyone can bring both sides to the table, it is the Maulana, as he is a rare breed of politician.
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he → say → politician
He said both sides wanted face-saving in the current fragile political situation and would definitely look to resume dialogue.
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sides → say → dialogue
In fact, PTI leaders have demanded a meeting with the party’s incarcerated founder Imran Khan in jail, while the government has asked the PTI to call off its long march [which is still being staged in KP].
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which → demand → KP
“I think the Maulana can find a middle way in this situation,” he added.
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he → think → situation
Talking to Dawn, JUI-F spokesman Aslam Ghauri said his party chief was playing the role of a “facilitator, not a mediator”.
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chief → talk → facilitator
He distinguished the two roles by saying that a mediator would have the authority from opposition parties to make his own decision in the light of their demands.
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mediator → distinguish → demands
“It is our [JUI-F’s] priority to bring both sides on table for resumption of talks,” he added.
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he → bring → talks
Mr Ghauri also pointed out that they had urged the government to call a multi-party conference in Parliament House, where political and security issues should be discussed.
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issues → point → House
The JUI-F leader said sitting on the table would benefit both sides.
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sitting → say → sides
“Resumption of dialogue will mostly benefit PTI because the KP government is virtually being run by someone else and not by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
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government → benefit → Afridi
On whose orders was section 144 imposed in Abbottabad and the deputy commissioner Peshawar placed containers on roads to block the PTI long march?
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commissioner → impose → march
”
While media reports suggested that PM Shehbaz may soon consult the JUI-F chief, the party spokesman told Dawn they had so far not received any such indication from PM Office.
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they → suggest → Office
Interestingly, PTI leader Shaukat Yousufzai recently claimed during a talk show that the Maulana had already played a role, and that it was on his suggestion that the PTI changed the date of its long march from Sept 27 to Oct 4.
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PTI → claim → Oct
This assertion, however, was subsequently denied by PTI’s Asad Qaiser.
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assertion → deny → Qaiser
While he may not command the same political clout that he once did, the Maulana is still a force to be reckoned with.
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Maulana → command → clout
Let’s not forget that he was the leader of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance that unseated the Imran Khan-led PTI government in 2022.
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that → let → 2022
Just a few years earlier, he had brought a mass of khaki-clad protesters to the capital and kept them camped there for nearly a fortnight in 2019 to demand Imran’s resignation.
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he → bring → resignation
It wasn’t too long ago, either, that the government was forced to seek his support when it was putting together the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
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it → force → Amendment
At the time, the JUI-F’s eight votes, along with six from independents and PTI-backed members, proved instrumental in getting the amendment passed, while its five senators proved similarly decisive in the upper house.
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senators → back → house
Subsequently, though, the passage of the 27th Amendment indicated the waning of his parliamentary clout.
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passage → indicate → clout
After the Supreme Court’s 2025 verdict on reserved seats, the Election Commission of Pakistan restored seats to the PML-N, PPP and JUI-F, and the ruling alliance’s National Assembly strength rose to over 230, clear of the two-thirds mark.
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strength → reserve → mark
When the Maulana announced in Nov 2025 that his party would not vote for the 27th Amendment, the government was already reported to have the backing of 65 senators in the 96-member house, even without JUI-F’s seven.
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government → announce → seven
The Aporia
