JUI-F leader Qari Iftikhar reportedly taken into custody

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Deputy Chief Qari Iftikhar was allegedly taken into custody by unidentified men in Islamabad on Monday, according to the party’s spokesperson.

JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri said he and his colleagues were intercepted by several men in plain clothes near Islamabad’s E-11 sector. He alleged that four to five individuals forced them into a vehicle and confiscated his mobile phone and identification documents.

Ghauri said the men did not identify themselves or disclose which institution they represented. They also failed to explain the reason for taking them into custody.

According to Ghauri, he and one of his colleagues were driven around different parts of the city for nearly an hour before being released. However, he alleged that the unidentified individuals took Qari Iftikhar with them and did not disclose his whereabouts.

Iftikhar serves as JUI-F’s deputy chief and oversees the party’s Islamabad office.

No immediate response was available from the relevant authorities regarding the alleged incident.

The development comes amid heightened political tensions between the government and JUI-F following the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has strongly opposed the government’s decision, questioning its constitutional and political justification. He also accused the government of withdrawing from negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other opposition parties despite initially agreeing to their demands.

Fazl argued that if an emergency was necessary, it should be imposed on the federal government, which he described as illegitimate, rather than the KP administration.

His criticism triggered a heated exchange between opposition leaders and government ministers in the National Assembly. The JUI-F chief accused the government of misusing the Constitution, prompting federal ministers to challenge his political position and past role in government formation.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also criticised Fazl over his opposition to governor’s rule, suggesting that his stance was linked to not being offered a position in the proposed provincial administration.

Meanwhile, a delegation representing PTI and the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) expressed solidarity with Fazl over his parliamentary speech. The delegation also condemned what it called a campaign to malign the JUI-F chief following his criticism of the government’s decisions.