Pakistan Opposition Leader Warns of Military Concentration of Power Threatening National Stability

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Pakistan's opposition leader and head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F, has warned of the growing concentration of political and institutional power with the military. He said that the imbalance between government institutions could threaten the country's stability. Addressing a public meeting in Multan, Punjab, Rehman said that Pakistan could only function properly if the military, bureaucracy, and elected institutions function within their constitutional purview. In an apparent reference to the military, he said that the powerful who continue to wield more and more power over their shoulders will soon reach a point where they themselves will be burdened by that power. His statement comes days after President Asif Ali Zardari imposed emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 11 October. The move also drew criticism from Prime Minister Sharif's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).