Fazlur Rehman targets Army Chief Asim Munir
At a gathering of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) in Peshawar, party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman took a direct swipe at Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. As reported by multiple outlets, Rehman invoked the military's defeat in the 1971 war with India, warning that prolonged oppression and bloodshed could lead to 'geographical changes' in the region.
Rehman, a senior Pakistani leader, questioned the military's 'chest-thumping' and 'tall claims' while ordinary citizens suffer, according to The Tribune and Lokmat Times. 'We are the protectors of this country. No one's father can harm this country. I agree, you are very powerful,' he said, according to reports from The Times of India and others, in an apparent jab at the top military leadership.
Recalling 1971 surrender
Rehman drew a parallel between current military posturing and the events leading to the 1971 surrender in Dhaka. He reminded his audience that on December 16, around 93,000 Pakistani troops had surrendered to Indian forces, ending a 13-day war and leading to the creation of Bangladesh. Rehman recounted that a day before the surrender, then-President General Yahya Khan addressed the army with grand declarations of fighting on in the streets, deserts, fields, factories, and mountains. 'We heard these big words then,' Rehman said, according to the reports.
The JUI-F chief used this history to question why the public is subjected to severe hardships while the establishment remains insensitive to their condition. 'Why are you putting the country and the people to the test? Why are you having fun when your public is suffering?' he said, as quoted by Lokmat Times, The Times of India, and The Tribune.
House on the presidency
Rehman appeared to warn of a wider destabilisation, pointing to the situation in Afghanistan after the 1989 revolution. 'It's been 45-46 years, blood has been flowing for about half a century. When blood flows like this, then it is a sign of geographical changes,' he said, tying prolonged bloodshed to the risk of territorial disintegration.
At the same time, he stressed a domestic political message. According to The Times of the Day, the only outlet to carry this claim, Rehman said, 'Today is 2026, but when people are wondering what will happen next, the establishment has been concentrating powers in one individual.' The same source attributed to him the warning that Parliament could be sidelined in future lawmaking and constitutional changes, and a call for opposition unity.
words to the military
In a challenge that only The Times of India carried, Rehman allegedly told the military: 'If you want to do politics, then take off the uniform and come; participate in the elections.' This direct invitation to the military to renounce the uniform and enter electoral politics was not corroborated in the other reports reviewed.
Rehman's remarks come amid reported public dissatisfaction with the military's role in civilian matters. The reports from all three outlets cite no immediate response from the Pakistani military or from Army Chief Asim Munir.