After Sedition FIR, Pakistan's JUI-F Chief Appeals For Peace In PoK, Urges Protesters To Pause Agitation | Exclusive

Published 15 July 2026 · india

After Sedition FIR, Pakistan's JUI-F Chief Appeals For Peace In PoK, Urges Protesters To Pause Agitation | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: July 15, 2026

After Sedition FIR, Pakistan's JUI-F Chief Appeals For Peace In PoK, Urges Protesters To Pause Agitation | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: July 15, 2026, 14:41 IST As the case against him gathered attention, Maulana Fazlur Rehman appealed to the Kashmir Awami Action Committee to postpone any escalation of its month-long sit-in Rapid Read Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. (Video Grab) Days after a sedition case was registered against him over alleged remarks targeting Pakistan’s military, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has stepped into a markedly different role, appealing for calm in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and urging protesters to suspend further agitation while dialogue continues. CNN-News18 has accessed a copy of the FIR registered at Kasur’s Sadar Police Station, where Rehman has been booked under multiple provisions, including Section 124-A (sedition), following a complaint by a local resident over a speech delivered during a July 13 rally. The complainant alleged that Rehman made “hurtful and derogatory" remarks against Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies and military martyrs. Besides sedition, the FIR invokes Section 153-A, relating to promoting enmity between different groups, and Section 505-B, dealing with statements that could incite unrest or create fear among the public or the armed forces. Under Pakistan’s penal laws, the sedition provision carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, while the other sections provide for prison terms and fines upon conviction.

Appeal For Peace In PoK Even as the criminal case against him gathered attention, Rehman released a video message appealing to the Kashmir Awami Action Committee to postpone any escalation of its month-long sit-in in Rawalakot, the district headquarters of Poonch in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The protests have continued for over a month, with demonstrators pressing the government to accept their demands. Rehman acknowledged that “unpleasant incidents" during the agitation had created bitterness and said the matter had subsequently reached Pakistan’s Parliament. According to Rehman, the Awami Action Committee had requested him to act as a mediator between the protesters and the government. “I am grateful to them that they placed their trust in me," he said, adding that JUI leaders in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir had remained in constant touch with him throughout the negotiations. ‘Consulted Bilawal Bhutto’ Rehman also revealed that he had spoken to Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is currently in Muzaffarabad, as part of efforts to find a negotiated settlement. According to Rehman, Bilawal informed him that consultations with the government and his party’s core committee were continuing, although no final breakthrough had yet been achieved. Rehman said Bilawal stressed that he wanted to avoid “bloodshed" and “riots" and hoped the issue could be resolved through dialogue.