ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has raised concerns over the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Speaking to journalists at Parliament House in Islamabad, Fazlur Rehman claimed that the state had lost control across several areas. He particularly pointed to districts along the western bank of the Indus River.
His remarks come as security forces continue intelligence-based operations under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 3 and the Azm-e-Istehkam campaign.
Officials have reported several operations in recent weeks. These include actions in Hangu, Bannu, Ziarat, Harnai, Sorab, Kili Zaik, Mastung, Bolan and Kharan.
Authorities have claimed that more than 50 terrorists were killed during these operations. They also reported the destruction of militant hideouts and recovery of weapons.
The recovered items reportedly included sniper rifles, M4 rifles, grenades and material used to make improvised explosive devices.
An operation in Hangu on August 7 also drew attention. Seven terrorists were reportedly killed during the operation, while Captain Hamza Akram embraced martyrdom.
Fazlur Rehman Raises Concerns Over KP Security
Fazlur Rehman said residents in Islamabad and Lahore might not fully understand conditions in western parts of KP.
“Our province… you people are sitting in Islamabad. Perhaps you gentlemen do not realize here or the people sitting in Lahore do not realize that there is no writ on the western bank of the Indus River at this time.”
He also claimed that police command structures had weakened in several districts. He specifically mentioned Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Tank.
JUI-F Chief Claims Police Command Has Broken Down
Fazlur Rehman alleged that police officers in some districts were no longer following orders from senior officials.
“Be it Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Tank, the chain of command of the police has been broken there. The police have formed committees there. The police have set up roadblocks, blocked the roads. They neither accept the order of the DPO, nor the order of the DIG, nor the order of the IG and they have completely formed their own command. And whatever the head of the committee says, that is what happens,” he said.
He also referred to recent violence in Hangu and described an alleged siege of a police compound.
“The incidents that have just happened in Hangu, the entire compound, whatever was police, was surrounded by the Taliban. Then he [the DPO] requested the elders that if you can do anything, you should talk to these people. Then the local scholars/clerics went there and talked to them and told them that we will release these soldiers and policemen, but they will have to give up their weapons and we will also make a video of it. And the DPO said, okay, we agree to both things,” he claimed.
According to Fazlur Rehman, six personnel remained in captivity after the initial release.
“Then the next day it was found out that six of the men were still with them… They released them in such a way that they hugged each policeman and kept giving him ten thousand rupees,” he said.
He further claimed that similar conditions existed in Kurram, Orakzai and other Pashtun areas.
According to him, “the writ has completely ended” in these parts of the province.
Fazlur Rehman Highlights Balochistan Situation
The JUI-F chief also expressed concerns about security conditions in Balochistan.
He said the situation becomes more serious beyond Quetta’s Chiltan range. He specifically referred to areas including Chagai, Mastung and Khuzdar.
“In Baloch areas, if you cross the Chiltan, then it will be up to Chagai or you can go to Mastung and Khuzdar, today I want to tell you only to save the cities, excavations have been done around the cities and inside them the army has taken over the fronts and is taking equipment there, so that only the cities can be saved, the district headquarters can be saved, the tehsil headquarters can be saved, the rest of the fields, villages etc. are in their hands,” he claimed.
Fazlur Rehman questioned why authorities were not addressing what he described as the worsening situation.
He also called for journalists and international human rights organisations to visit the affected areas.
“Journalists should leave, international human rights organizations should come, they should go from outside, in these areas,” he said.
Fazlur Rehman Calls for Addressing Security Crisis
The JUI-F chief used the example of a burning house to describe the security situation.
“In this situation, when your house is on fire and the brothers are sitting together in the house that is on fire, how do you divide this house? Is this reasonable? Do you have to put out the fire or do you have to divide the houses? So, even after the creation of provinces, the situation is almost the same.”
His remarks highlight the ongoing debate over security, governance and political stability in Pakistan’s western regions.
However, Fazlur Rehman’s claims about the extent of the state’s control could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, security officials have maintained that intelligence-based and sanitisation operations are continuing across affected areas. They say these efforts aim to dismantle terrorist networks and restore lasting peace.
