'Take Off Your Uniform': Pakistani Leader Challenges Asim Munir; Says Balochistan Is Slipping Out of Control (X)
Islamabad: One of Pakistan's most influential religious and political leaders has launched a attack on the country's military establishment and Army Chief General Asim Munir. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the military should stay within its constitutional limits and contest elections if it wished to play a political role.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while addressing a massive public gathering in Punjab’s Qasur, warned the army to stay within its constitutional limits and said that if it was so keen on playing politics, it should come out openly and contest elections.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that "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."
At the public meeting, Maulana Fazlur Rehman painted a grim picture of Pakistan's internal security situation. He claimed that the country was slowly falling apart and the government had lost control over large parts of Balochistan before violence engulfed Pashtun-majority regions as well.
Regarding the situation in Balochistan, the Maulana said, "The country is falling apart. Where are the rulers? There were rebellions in the Baloch areas. The entire Baloch region had slipped out of Pakistan’s control. Even today, there is no writ of the Pakistan government there.
JUI-F chief also warned that the fire in Balochistan has now spread to the Pashtun-majority areas (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
"We were holding back the Baloch region; now the Pashtun region is drowning in blood too. We have received more than fifty bodies in just two or three days," he said.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman's anger was triggered from a recent statement by Pakistan's Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, in which he appealed to civilians to stand with the army in its fight against terrorism and militant groups. Munir stated that the army alone cannot eliminate militancy without public support.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman rejected this appeal outright and questioned the army's "favors." He questioned the tax money and the army's duty, saying, "They say our youth are becoming martyrs. Your youth wear the uniform for this very purpose. They are paid salaries to defend the country’s security."
"Why do you throw the favour of your blood on me? You are taking your salaries from the taxes earned through our blood and sweat, and then you ask us to mobilise militias and fight armed groups. I have taken no salary. I will not form any army," he said.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman accused the Pakistani military of consistently suppressing democratic institutions and the rights of parliament. He said the military has turned the country's politics into a tool to manipulate it.
Warning to set limits, Fazlur Rehman said, "“Parliament has its own boundary, every department has its own sphere of authority, and similarly, the army has its sphere of authority too. The army has its responsibilities. Keep an eye on your own responsibilities, not politics."
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