Pakistani politician and chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, delivered a blistering critique of Pakistan’s military and government, accusing them of failing to maintain order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan while warning that the country’s Pashtun regions were “drowning in blood.”“The country is falling apart. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today, there is no government. After the sun sets in the west, until the sun rises in the morning, the police do not step out of their stations. And if the police do not come out of their stations, then the streets will be handed over to armed groups, then the streets and roads will be at the mercy of bandits,” Fazl said during a rally Punjab, Pakistan.He directly addressed the military: “I know your authority in my province — you have no government. You are just sitting inside your grand bungalows in the capitals, legs crossed, thinking you are the rulers. At the very least, in my province, you have no government.”
Critique on Baloch and Pashtun region
Fazl said Balochistan had already slipped out of government control and the Pashtun region was now following suit. “In Balochistan, in the Baloch areas, there were rebellions; the entire Baloch region had slipped out of Pakistan’s control. Even today, there is no writ of the Pakistan government there. But we were holding back the Baloch region; now the Pashtun region too is drowning in blood.”He described the human toll: “In the Pashtun region, within two or three days, we have received more than fifty bodies. All we did in the markets was buy shrouds for our loved ones. All we did was perform funerals for our loved ones.”
Critique of military
Fazl took aim at military personnel, accusing them of failing to protect citizens despite being paid from public taxes. “Your youth who are becoming martyrs — they have tied the uniform for this very reason, they are taking their salary for this very reason — that they have to fight for the country’s security. What favor are you doing me by throwing your blood on me? You are taking your salary from the taxes of my blood and sweat for precisely this.“He added: “I have taken no salary; I will not form any army. You will leave, but you are pushing my homeland toward personal vendettas for generations to come, pushing it toward murder and plunder forever and ever. Explain this politics to someone else; don’t try to explain it to us.”Fazl challenged the military to enter politics directly. “If you want to do politics, then take off the uniform and come; participate in the elections, and it will become clear what votes people give to those in uniform. It is your prerogative to give government to whomever you want, and to snatch it away from whomever you wish.”
Petition filed against Fazl over remarks
A petition was filed in a court against Fazl over his remarks, with the petitioner arguing that the speech hurt the sentiments of the general public and caused distress to the families of martyrs. The court sought a reply from the National Counter Terrorism Authority by August 17.Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif expressed disappointment, calling Fazl’s words “unfair.” Pakistan’s planning minister Ahsan Iqbal posted on X: “To describe such an unparalleled sacrifice as merely a compensation for a salary is neither fair, nor in accordance with the demands of ethics, and nor aligned with Islamic teachings.”
