ISLAMABAD:
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday assured parliamentary reporters of his full support on their grievances over the PECA amendment bill.
He noted that politics and journalism have always been deeply connected, particularly within the parliamentary landscape.
He was speaking during his visit to the office of the Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) at the Parliament House, where he was welcomed by PRA President Usman Khan, Secretary Naveed Akbar and other body members.
During the visit, PRA officials briefed the JUI-F chief on the PECA amendment bill.
“Lawmakers draft legislation based on specific circumstances, but over time, these laws lose their relevance,” the JUI-F chief said.
He also took aim at the role of state institutions, saying, “It is astonishing how, for the powers that be, the constitution appears to be a malleable tool, as if it was never meant to govern the country, but rather to be governed by them”.
Reiterating his stance against the PECA law, he said journalists should have been consulted before its amendments. “I had urged the president to take journalists’ opinions and involve media organisations before signing the bill. I had also requested him to delay his approval, but external pressure led to the bill’s swift enactment,” he claimed.
According to him, the government initially sought to push the amendment through without drafting a formal text. “They wanted an immediate vote, but when a draft was demanded, only after intense opposition was it finally presented.”
He argued that accepting the draft in its original form would have effectively turned Pakistan into a “nominal democracy with the essence of martial law”.
