Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday accused Pakistan army of derailing Chinese investments under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), alleging that the country’s mineral wealth was being used to advance foreign interests and facilitate a shift towards United States.In a social media post on X, Rehman claimed that Pakistan had disappointed Beijing by halting CPEC-linked investments midway and warned that the loss of Chinese confidence could deter other countries from investing in Pakistan.“You have disappointed China, you have halted their investment midway, and when China is disappointed, the rest of the world will not come to invest in your country either,” he saidHe alleged that the US was stepping in to fill the space left by China, claiming that American officials had acknowledged this to him.“And who is taking China’s place? America is taking its place. This has been admitted by the Americans themselves in front of me,” he said.Rehman clarified that he was not opposed to foreign investment in Pakistan’s mineral sector, saying the country urgently needed international capital, development projects and economic opportunities.“We do not disagree with the principle of investment from around the world here. Multinational companies come, they invest; America is not immune to this, Russia is not immune, China is not immune, Britain and France are not immune,” he said.“And who is taking China’s place? America is taking its place. This has been admitted by the Americans themselves in front of me, and our esteemed elders here have taken those beautiful, beautiful stones to their offices and presented them, and the ambassador they have here at the time has also said it in her interview,” he added.The JUI-F chief also alleged that politicians backed by the military establishment prioritised their personal interests and the demands of their patrons over Pakistan’s economic well-being.“These Pakistani politicians – whose priorities I know – in all such matters, they first determine their own share, and only then do they think about the country,” he said.Fazlur Rehman also questioned the imposition of governor’s rule and the declaration of an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, alleging that the measures were linked to concerns over the region’s mineral reserves.“On what grounds? Terrorism? The provincial government is aligned with the narrative of terrorism; it is the federation that is not providing support for that narrative,” he said.He further alleged that the focus on terrorism had subsequently disappeared from the debate, while discussions surrounding mineral reserves had also been dropped.“As soon as governor’s rule was imposed and as soon as the emergency was declared, the topic of terrorism simply vanished, and from their side, the discussion of mineral reserves was dropped,” he said.His remarks come amid Pakistan’s efforts to attract foreign investment into its mineral sector, particularly in resource-rich regions such as Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.CPEC, a flagship component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, includes infrastructure, energy and industrial development projects. The initiative has faced challenges over the years, including security threats, delays and concerns over the safety of Chinese personnel and investments.