Newsmaker: Fazlur Rehman adjusts political tunes

Pied Piper to thousands of hardline religious voters who demand a Taliban style government in Pakistan, the 49-year-old Maulana Fazlur Rehman is now a leading contender for the post of prime minister, if the major parties back him as head of the country's new government.

He opposed General Musharraf's government in its stand on the U.S.-led 'War on Terror' and was placed under house arrest last year.

For his voters, the Maulana being in power means the ouster of Americans from Pakistan, the end of American bases, and no compromise on "converting" Pakistan as a "pure" Islamic country.

Many see his anti-establishment stance as inherited.

Dubbed the 'political mullah', he learnt his first lessons of politics from his father, an Islamic scholar and politician, Maulana Mufti Mehmood.

His father was a member of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam Hind, a political platform of seminary students, which participated in the struggle for independence against British imperialism.

Mufti Mehmood was also an active member of the 'Quit India' movement before the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, and became one of the founding members of Jamiat-e-Ulema Pakistan and spread Deobandi teachings in the country mainly through the network of Islamic seminaries.

In 1980 when Mufti Mehmood died, Maulana Fazlur Rehman inherited the mantle in a colourful ceremony known as 'Dastarbandi', a centuries-old ritual with strong overtones of a monarchy where the son is sworn in as the successor.

He inherited his father's legacy, becoming the "spiritual" as well as the political heir and leader of his father's followers of JUI.

Even as a young student at the country's largest Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom Haqqania, in Akora Khattak, Fazlur Rehman was involved in the political turmoil of 70's which witnessed the dismemberment of East Pakistan, now known as an independent country of Bangladesh.

Agitating for Islamist reforms, he was first arrested in 1974 when he was only 21 years old and then in 1977 during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's rule, years before he even graduated from the Islamic seminary.

By the time he assumed the leadership of JUI, Fazlur Rehman had mastered the tricks of the trade of politics and was aware that he could only survive by following the footprints of his "legendary" father, mainly because of his massive following in the frontier, the adjoining tribal areas and parts of Afghanistan.

At the time when other Islamic parties backed Zia-ul-Haq, Fazlur Rehman opted to be a part of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) launched by pro-democracy parties headed by Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in the early 80s. He knew achieving his political goals rested in the anti-establishment movement and not the military dictator.

His party split into several factions, with many of his close associates choosing to join the all-powerful dictator as members of Majlis-e-Shoora (Consultative Council). His close aides now blame Zia-ul-Haq for the party's split and term it an "unsuccessful attempt to weaken and punish Fazlur Rehman."

Rehman spent his time in prison equipping himself for the political arena outside.

"He studied socialism, communism and Pakistan's vicious and cyclical polity. When he came out of prison he not only became politically mature but it was the emergence of a 'political mullah'," says analyst, Imtiaz Alam, who spent time with Fazlur Rehman in prison.

After the death of General Zia -ul-Haq and the return to democracy in 1988, Rehman was released and elected as a member of national assembly.

In the following years, he spent most of his time in his ancestral village near Dera Ismail Khan, and got involved in Afghan politics of reconciliation negotiations between Gulbuddin Hikmatyar, Burhanuddin Rabbani, Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf.

But cleverly he did not side with any factions which could make him controversial, safeguarding his ambitions in Pakistani politics as well.

In 1993 he had not only won the elections as a National Assembly legislator but came close enough to Benazir Bhutto to become head of the parliament's Foreign Relations Committee.

The 'political Mullah' began to meet western leaders and visit their countries - acts that angered his followers. The resentment built, as he was dubbed 'Maulana Diesel' allegedly for getting import permits for millions of barrels of diesel and as 'Maulana Construction' for his alleged partnership in the construction business with tycoons. Rehman vociferously denied the allegations but the damage was already done.

In 1997 elections Maulana lost elections to a Pakistan Muslim League candidate. His supporters faced added embarrassment, since he was also competing against a 'sexy' Pushto film actress, Mussarat Shaheen, in a colourful contest, because of which many refused to join his election campaign in his staunch, conservative constituency.

The Maulana's merging with the mainstream of the country's politics could not last long. He had to go back to his roots to be with his hardliner supporters. But the wind in the frontier province had changed. People were raising slogans in support of the hardline Taliban and against anything that was perceived as pro-U.S. He needed to regain his popularity and since then the Maulana has led the pro-Taliban forces in Pakistan.

In 1998 when the U.S. launched missile attack on the alleged training camps of Osama bin Laden in Khost, the Maulana led the violent protests in the frontier province. Several times he visited Mullah Omar, spiritual leader of Taliban, and other leaders in Kandahar. He was seen as the most "loyal" leader of Taliban among Islamic forces in Pakistan.

Following September 11, when American forces launched strikes in Afghanistan and General Musharraf's government sided with the U.S., Maulana Rehman led the country-wide anti-America movement. The turbaned Fazlur Rehman gave Osama bin Laden a title of "hero of Islam" and won many hearts.

When the Musharraf government announced elections after three years of military rule in October 2002, Rehman knew the direction of the tide and how to crest it. His investments were about to yield political profit.

Maulana's party won the majority of seats on the platform of Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA), which wiped the Pushtoon nationalists off the political map, and emerged as a leading contender for the premiership of the country from one of the quarters.

Fazlur Rehman is once again busy image building. In Islamabad he is briefing western diplomats, issuing statements to prove his moderate credentials; a flexible and accommodating religious leader.

"Like a smart politician he captured the 9/11 opportunity to rebuild his own political constituency. But now contesting for the prime ministership will not be an easy task for Fazlur Rehman," analyst Imtiaz Alam says.

Mullah Pied Piper is trying to find the right tune to woo both, the political powers of the Capital and international regime, as well as his hardline supporters who have followed him so far.