DND Special Report
The is saying “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones,” appears particularly relevant to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whose increasingly controversial political statements against Pakistan’s state institutions and his apparent alignment with the Afghan Taliban’s position have brought renewed attention to allegations concerning his personal wealth, properties and alleged misuse of government resources.
Fazlur Rehman, whose criticism of Pakistan’s security establishment has increasingly crossed political boundaries, has gone too far in his political vendetta against the Pakistan Army. His recent statements concerning Afghanistan have raised serious questions about his political priorities, particularly when he appears to defend the Afghan Taliban’s position while holding Pakistan responsible for deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Kabul.
His position on the Afghan Taliban and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an organisation responsible for terrorist violence against Pakistan, has become increasingly controversial. Critics argue that his statements provide political legitimacy to forces whose activities have cost Pakistan thousands of civilian and security personnel lives. His repeated criticism of Pakistan’s border policies, meanwhile, has strengthened the perception that he is more concerned about defending the Afghan Taliban government’s position than addressing Pakistan’s security concerns.
Fazlur Rehman has openly advocated reopening Pakistan-Afghanistan trade, arguing that the closure of trade routes is damaging the Afghan economy. He has also opposed the repatriation of illegal Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan, arguing that the Afghan Taliban government is facing an economic crisis and cannot manage the additional burden of Afghans returning from Pakistan.
Pakistan has legitimate security concerns along its western border, particularly regarding the presence and activities of terrorist organisations operating from Afghan territory.
The TTP has repeatedly carried out attacks against Pakistani civilians, police personnel and security forces. Pakistan’s position is that the Afghan Taliban administration must prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan.
Against this background, any political leader who repeatedly assigns responsibility for deteriorating bilateral relations to Pakistan while overlooking the security concerns raised by Islamabad invites legitimate questions about the consistency of his political position.
Fazlur Rehman has the constitutional and democratic right to criticise government policies, disagree with the military establishment and advocate alternative approaches towards Afghanistan. However, political criticism must not become a justification for overlooking terrorist violence or dismissing Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns.
These positions have surprised even sections of his own party. Many JUI-F supporters do not consider their party an anti-Pakistan political organisation and remain uncomfortable with statements that appear to place the Afghan Taliban government’s economic and political interests above Pakistan’s national security and sovereign border policies. Consequently, pro-Pakistan elements within JUI-F are reportedly distancing themselves from Fazlur Rehman’s increasingly blunt statements on Afghanistan.
The political controversy has also triggered an information campaign by journalists and commentators who have begun examining allegations concerning his properties, financial resources and the alleged accumulation of considerable wealth in some of Islamabad’s most expensive residential locations.
The emerging questions are not merely political. They concern the sources of wealth, ownership of properties, alleged benami arrangements, the use of government employees for private domestic services and the financing of institutions associated with the JUI-F leadership.
Recent media reports and investigative disclosures have brought a series of allegations into the public domain. These include luxury properties linked to Fazlur Rehman, land registered in the names of his drivers and associates, a large horse stable in Islamabad, government-funded domestic staff at his private residences and foreign financial assistance used for the construction of Mufti Mahmood Markaz in Peshawar.
According to reports published by 24 News HD and Pakistan Observer, several expensive properties in Islamabad are allegedly linked to the JUI-F chief, with some reportedly registered in the names of other individuals.
One property in Sector G-6/4, Islamabad, is reportedly registered under the name of an individual identified as Amanullah, although it is to be associated with Fazlur Rehman. Another property, House No. 11, Street 83 in same sector, is reportedly undergoing construction, with four separate residential units being developed within the premises. Furthermore, a luxurious residence on Street 84 has also been linked to Fazlur Rehman. Reports allege that this expensive property was gifted to him by Mr. Khan, a figure associated with the cigarette manufacturing and smuggling trade, allegedly in exchange for a Senate ticket.
These allegations raise important questions about the actual ownership of the properties, the financial transactions involved and the circumstances under which such expensive real estate assets were acquired or transferred.
If these properties are held through benami arrangements, the relevant authorities must establish their actual beneficial ownership and examine whether the arrangements violate applicable laws.
The central question remains: How did a religious and political leader with a publicly known clerical background become associated with such an expensive real estate portfolio in Islamabad alone?
And this is separate from the properties and assets allegedly accumulated in Dera Ismail Khan, Karachi, Quetta and other locations, as well as allegations concerning wealth associated with religious seminaries.
Perhaps one of the most serious allegations concerns the use of lower-income employees and personal associates as frontmen for holding expensive properties and large landholdings.
According to reports referring to National Accountability Bureau investigations, Fazlur Rehman’s personal driver, identified as Abdullah, reportedly holds ownership documents for more than 1,000 kanals of land in Dera Ismail Khan.
Another driver is reportedly associated with 400 kanals of land, while an individual identified as Rauf Mama allegedly holds 88 kanals in Shorkot.
Another significant matter requiring investigation concerns a large horse stable reportedly maintained by Fazlur Rehman in the Shah Allah Ditta area of Islamabad. According to information circulating through investigative reports and sources, the stable houses approximately two dozen valuable horses. The more serious allegation, however, concerns the management and maintenance of this facility.
Sources claim that government employees recruited through the influence of Fazlur Rehman’s son, Asad Mahmood, during his tenure as a federal minister, have been assigned duties connected with the management of the stable.
If established, this would raise serious questions about the use of public employees and government resources for maintaining a private facility.
The NAB should determine who owns the horses, who finances their purchase and maintenance, who manages the stable and whether government employees have been unlawfully deployed for private purposes.
The issue is not simply the ownership of expensive horses. It is whether public-sector employees, whose salaries are paid from taxpayers’ money, have been utilised to provide services to a private individual.
Perhaps the most disturbing allegation concerns the reported deployment of government employees at Fazlur Rehman’s private residences in Islamabad. According to sources, domestic staff serving at his various residences include drivers, assistant drivers, cooks, laundry workers, caretakers, cleaners, security guards and even attendants assigned to open vehicle doors.
The allegation is that these individuals are government employees who were recruited or assigned through political influence during different periods of JUI-F’s participation in government.
Sources particularly refer to the ministerial tenure of Asad Mahmood, Fazlur Rehman’s son, and the period during which Fazlur Rehman served as Chairman of the Kashmir Committee.
It is alleged that government positions and official influence were used to recruit personnel who subsequently performed domestic and private duties at residences associated with the JUI-F chief.
A comprehensive inquiry is therefore necessary to establish:
- How many government employees have been assigned to Fazlur Rehman’s private residences?
- Under which ministries, departments and official rules were they recruited?
- Who approved their appointments and subsequent postings?
- Whether their salaries and other benefits are being paid from public funds.
- Whether their official duties involve government responsibilities or private domestic services.
- Whether the recruitment process was transparent and consistent with applicable civil service regulations.
The NAB and relevant government departments should make the findings of such an inquiry public and determine whether any financial loss has been caused to the national exchequer.
Another important issue concerns the construction of Mufti Mahmood Markaz in Peshawar and the reported financial assistance received from Libya.
According to reports and sources, the construction of the Markaz, including its associated facilities and structures, was financed through financial assistance provided by Libya.
The allegation that the entire construction was funded through direct grants from Libya requires particular attention because the terms, financial channels and utilisation of these funds have not been sufficiently explained in the material brought into the public domain.
The relevant authorities should establish the total amount of assistance received, the dates of the transactions, the organisations or individuals through which the funds were transferred and the manner in which the money was utilised.
It is equally important to determine whether the assistance was provided as an unconditional grant, whether any formal agreements were signed and whether the funds were properly declared and accounted for under applicable Pakistani laws.
The question is not whether a religious institution can receive legitimate foreign assistance. It is whether substantial foreign funding was properly documented, declared and utilised in accordance with the law.
The allegations concerning the use of government resources are not limited to domestic employees or private facilities.
Separate reports and anti-corruption allegations have also raised questions about the functioning of the Islamabad Estate Office during periods when JUI-F ministers were part of the federal government.
According to media reports, government residential properties reserved for deserving civil servants were subjected to political influence and irregular allotments. The reported racket involved the alleged issuance of hundreds of fraudulent allotment letters to political favourites and private agents in exchange for substantial bribes, bypassing thousands of applicants waiting on the official General Waiting List.
Government accommodation is a public resource and cannot be converted into a political commodity for rewarding supporters or generating illegal income.
If irregularities occurred during the tenures of JUI-F ministers, the responsibility of the relevant officeholders and officials must be determined through a transparent investigation.
The controversy surrounding the Islamabad properties has also attracted the attention of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). According to reports, the CDA issued a formal 15-day notice concerning a residence in Sector G-6/4, Islamabad, over alleged illegal encroachments and unauthorised constructions.
The reported violations include structures for security guards, a commercial generator and an illegal kitchen constructed on public setbacks.
The authority reportedly warned that the unauthorised structures would be demolished if the violations were not removed within the stipulated period.
This development adds another dimension to the questions surrounding the property.
The CDA should make its findings public and clarify the legal status of the construction, the nature of the violations and the action taken following the notice.
The enforcement of building regulations must remain uniform, irrespective of whether a property is associated with a powerful political leader, a religious personality or an ordinary citizen.
The growing number of allegations has revived demands for the National Accountability Bureau to complete or clarify its reported inquiry into Fazlur Rehman’s assets beyond known sources of income. The issue deserves attention because accountability cannot be selective therefore the investigation should cover the reported Islamabad properties, landholdings in Dera Ismail Khan and other locations, alleged benami arrangements, the horse stable, the deployment of government employees and the financing of institutions associated with the JUI-F leadership. It should also examine reported commercial properties in Quetta and Karachi and luxury apartments in Dubai, where applicable ownership and financial evidence exists.
