Fazal-ur-Rehman (politician, born 1953)

Faazl-ur-Rehman (born 19 June 1953) is a Pakistani Islamic scholar and politician, who serves as the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F). He is also a member of the National Assembly since February 2024 and had previously served in that position between 1988 and 2018. He was also the Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007. In the 1980s, he was part of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, which was formed to end the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq.

He was previously the president of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of political parties which ousted then prime minister Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion in 2022.

Fazal-ur-Rehman is a strong Taliban supporter, known for his close ties to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. He has called for imposition of Sharia in Pakistan and is regarded by some as an extremist, though he has tried to re-brand himself as moderate. Being a follower of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi who campaigned for liberation against the British Raj but later restricted his members from armed struggle after establishing a political party, Rehman opposed armed struggle to impose sharia laws as it leads to extremism in society. When in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2004 to 2007, his party passed the 'Hasba Bill' which was later declared illegal and unconstitutional. Through this bill, he believed that he would be following in his father Mufti Mahmud's footsteps, as he tried to implement 'Nizam-e-Mustafa', which his father struggled for throughout his political life. However, it was declared unconstitutional by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry.

After defeat in the 2018 Pakistani general election, Rehman was ejected from the National Assembly and failed to win major political support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, winning 10 of the 99 seats in his home turf. Alleging election fraud, 11 opposition political parties formed the PDM appointing Rehman as the president of this movement.