Maulana Fazlur Rehman expected the 2024 elections to significantly enhance the fortunes of his political party, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam–Fazl (JUI-F). With the Maulana’s main rival in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), splintered into three factions, stripped of its election symbol, its influential members having defected and forced to head into the elections without a coherent campaign, the consensus among most analysts was that the Maulana would emerge as the primary beneficiary of these circumstances in the province.

However, to his great disappointment, the results showed the exact opposite. The elections turned out to be a debacle for the Maulana of Maulanas. Both he and his close relatives were defeated in their constituencies in KP, and the party could not improve on its performance in the 2018 elections, significantly diminishing JUI-F’s political influence.

Adding insult to injury, his former allies from previous coalition governments, along with the establishment, sidelined him during the crucial post-election phase of the power-sharing process. As things currently stand, the JUI-F chief has rejected the election results and announced that he will sit in the opposition in the National Assembly.

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