Take a deep look at the word ‘Business’. 
Forget it, just look at Highlighted Lines 
A Chat With The ‘Prime Minister’ From Abdul Khel
ISLAMABAD: The Maulana, who does not hold a bank account, nominated for the prime minister’s slot is serious about his business.
He did not stop his daughters from going to high schools and the family now maintains Islamic values in the four walls. But he would not force the society to follow his family.
Fazlur Rehman, son of late Maulana Mufti Mehmood from Abdul Khel, DI Khan, has a chubby smiley face ready to crack jokes anytime. Hailing from a remote desert in the Frontier province, the Maulana has all the urban shrewdness while dealing with politicians who take pride in their western connections and education abroad.
He, however, is stern about issues like division of the society into “haves” and “have-nots”. “Rule of law in the country will be my main concern if I make it to the prime minister’s office,” the Maulana told The News in an exclusive sitting with this correspondent here on Saturday morning.
His rental apartment in Islamabad is too modest for the politicians happening to be far lesser in stature that he has in politics. They visit him and hear him to settle on political strategies focussed on determining the future prime minister of Pakistan. All these negotiations happen on an undecorated small room containing a three-piece sofa set and nothing more to be noticed by a visitor.
This correspondent reached his rental flat a little before the scheduled time. He was giving an interview to a television channel. The waiting room, where this scribe was awaiting his turn, had all floor sitting arrangement. In one corner of the room quilts were mounted giving the impression that it also served as a bedroom for several people.
Attired in his typical Kurta Shalwar and turban, the bulky Maulana smilingly welcomed this correspondent and did not mind even discussing his personal life. We even discussed his family ladies and also the scandals that had been haunting the Maulana in the past. He never lost his temper or let his smile disappear from his face.
The Maulana, however, seemed a little uncomfortable when asked if he would allow his wife or daughters to go to college or university or to be in politics. “They don’t want this. Neither my family traditions allow this,” the Maulana said, adding, “At least we should have the right to adopt the lifestyle of our own choice.” When asked that what would then be his response (if he becomes the PM) to others who allow their daughters to go to colleges/universities and also permit them to jump into politics, he said, “I would not object to their personal lives as I don’t want others to object to my family traditions.”
Maulana Fazlur Rehman is a father of three sons and three daughters. His elder son is getting religious education after passing high school in Dera. His elder daughter has also finished high school and currently preparing for intermediate exams privately, besides getting religious education.
The Maulana agrees that Islam allows education and job opportunity for all, including women, but with certain limitations. When his attention was drawn to the fact that contrary to his personal life, the family life of Qazi Hussain Ahmed, another central leading figure of MMA, is full of diversity with his sons and daughters besides being practising Muslims are well qualified in secular education, the Maulana said, “These should not be interpreted as contradictions but a beautiful blend of Islamic forces making MMA.”
The Maulana though looked older but is only 49. Matriculated in 1970 from Multan, he is an alumni of Dar-al-Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khatak. He has command over Arabic and Persian languages and can converse in Urdu and the regional languages of the Frontier province. About English, he said, “I can even speak broken English.”
When told that the West and the educated (secular education) class in Pakistan did not find Maulana fit to become the prime minister of Pakistan, he reacted, “I have a wide study of international politics, history, economics and what not.”
“It is the strength of character that actually produces good leaders,” the Maulana believed. His ideal in politics is his late father Maulana Mufti Mehmood, who earned respect even among his opponents when he resigned from the office of chief minister of Frontier to protest against the sacking of Balochistan government by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto during the seventies.
He was referred to the diesel permit scandal, which haunted him during Benazir Bhutto’s second term when he was chairman of an official committee on foreign affairs, and asked if he matched the reputation of his late father, he said, “the diesel scandal was nothing but nonsense.”
He said it was just a vilification campaign launched against him. Through media trial, he said, he was even before charged of getting commercial plazas in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, etc. When asked about his bank balance, the aspirant for the office of prime minister revealed that he did not even hold a bank account what to talk about the bank balance. “I have all what you will find in my pocket,” he said, adding that he had no house or any other property in any city of Pakistan.
He claims to own only a tribal house in Abdul Khel, where his family lives. About the luxurious jeep that he uses for travelling, he said it belongs to his party – the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) that he heads. On further probe he said he had an old model vehicle that was used by his family in Dera. He said he had a simple living.
His family would not move to Islamabad’s palatial Prime Minister’s House if the lady luck finally smiles on him. He, however, has no intention to convert the PM House into a university. The House should continue to be used by the PM. He, however, promised to bring its cost down drastically.
About Akram Durrani, his party leader and MMA nominee for the office of chief minister of NWFP, he had high hopes. When asked if he did see anything wrong about the beardless Durrani’s decision to grow beard only to justify his appointment as chief minister of NWFP, he said, Durrani belonged to a religious family and is a regular member of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. “He might have thought to grow the beard because he would be leading the alliance of religious scholars in the province,” the Maulana guessed.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman was not happy with the anti-Muslim propaganda of the Western media and said that it had created unnecessary doubts about Muslims in the minds of the western people. Responding to their apprehensions about the MMA, he said religious scholars and Ulema had a long political history spanning over centuries. “We are not new to politics and governance.”
