ISLAMABAD: Political arch-rivals Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) have forged a surprising political alignment, marking a sharp contrast with their allegations and counterallegations over alleged illegal foreign funding in 2021.
In January 2021, the PTI petitioned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to investigate JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other top leaders over alleged illicit funding from sources in Libya and Iraq. Citing a public interview by former JUI-F spokesman Hafiz Hussain Ahmed. Then the PTI lawmaker Farrukh Habib formally demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the right-wing party’s finances.
Meanwhile, PTI simultaneously faced severe financial scrutiny of its own before the same electoral body. Party co-founder Akbar S. Babar pressed the election watchdog to force transparency and compel PTI leadership to surrender financial records in a long-running prohibited funding case. During that period, Babar notably highlighted an offer from then-Prime Minister Imran Khan for live media coverage of the proceedings.
Consequently, while PTI actively pursued foreign funding allegations against JUI-F in early 2021, the ruling party simultaneously found itself defending its own financial records against identical charges before the election authority.
Today, the two former adversaries stand side-by-side on a unified political platform, highlighting the dramatic shifts and fluid alliances that characterize Pakistan’s political landscape.
