Maulana Diesel and Khawaja Asif clash in Pakistani Parliament over Tehran talks

New Delhi: Pakistan's Parliament witnessed a heated exchange between the opposition and the ruling party on Thursday. The exchange began with comments from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam MP Fazlur Rehman. Speaking in the National Assembly, Rehman took a dig at Defense Minister Khawaja Asif over Army Chief Asim Munir's visit to Iran for a meeting. He questioned why the Defense Minister's absence from the meeting was a matter of shame. Responding to this, Asif said that Munir went to Tehran to broker a peace deal between the US and Iran. His presence was unnecessary because Pakistan's security was not being discussed there.

According to Dawn, during his address to the National Assembly, Fazal referred to a meeting in Tehran attended by Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, along with senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Fazal said that a defense agreement was being reached in Iran while the Defense Minister was present there, which was a matter of shame. On this, Asif retorted that if Maulana had got a share of power, he would not have said these things.

'You have no shame'

Opposition leader Fazlur Rehman took a dig at Mohsin Naqvi's presence and Asif's absence at the Iran meeting. He said, "Is this your respect and stature? Brother, do you have any shame or modesty?" Fazlur Rehman, also known as Maulana Diesel, sharply criticized the army and the government, stating clearly that there is no democracy left in the country.

Khawaja Asif responded to Maulana Rehman's remarks in the National Assembly. He stated that his presence in Tehran was not necessary because the discussions there were neither about a defense agreement nor related to Pakistan's security. He denied that any defense agreement was being discussed in Tehran. He stated that these discussions had nothing to do with Pakistan's defense.

Asif targets Maulana

Taking aim at Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asif said that the JUI-F chief has sometimes had differences and sometimes cooperation with the government. He said, "Until recently, Fazlur Rehman was with us. We together introduced a no-confidence motion." Fazlur headed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a multi-party coalition that ousted Imran Khan's government from power in April 2022. Citing this, Asif targeted the Maulana.

Right-wing politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman has been one of the few Pakistani leaders in recent months who has been aggressive not only against the Shahbaz Sharif government but also against the military led by Asim Munir. Rehman has emphasized opposition unity with Imran Khan's PTI party. He has also been seen strongly opposing the military's interference in power.