Fake Government Of Powerless Rulers: Pakistan Opposition Leader Warns Shehbaz Sharif Govt Over Military’s Growing Power

Pakistan opposition leader and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has branded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government a “fake government” of “powerless rulers”, warning that the growing concentration of authority in the military establishment could threaten the country’s stability.

Addressing a public gathering in Punjab’s Multan district on Friday, Rehman accused powerful forces of undermining parliamentary democracy and weakening elected institutions. He argued that Pakistan could function effectively only if the military, bureaucracy and political leadership operated within their respective constitutional limits.

“We have chosen the path of Parliament, and today the people of Pakistan and the world can see which force is sabotaging parliamentary politics, democracy and politics rooted in the people. This is no longer hidden,” Rehman said.

He warned that the powerful forces accumulating greater authority could eventually be overwhelmed by the weight of their own power, in an apparent reference to the military establishment. He also questioned the legitimacy of Sharif’s government, arguing that it lacked a popular electoral mandate.

Rehman’s criticism comes amid a political controversy over the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a province governed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

President Asif Ali Zardari imposed the measures on October 11 following a recommendation from Sharif’s cabinet. The move removed the PTI-led provincial government and intensified tensions between the federal administration and Khan’s party.

Rehman has described the intervention as an attack on democracy and pledged to oppose it through democratic means. He also questioned the Pakistan Peoples Party’s democratic credentials and criticised Zardari over the decision.

His remarks triggered a sharp response from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who said Rehman’s comments about Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir had “hurt every patriotic Pakistani”.

Nawaz accused the JUI-F chief of defending those responsible for alleged incompetence, mismanagement and corruption in KP rather than holding them accountable.

The confrontation highlights Pakistan’s continuing political divisions over civil-military relations, provincial autonomy and the authority of elected governments. Rehman’s warning adds to the debate over the military’s influence in national politics and the future of parliamentary governance.