Fazlur Rehman Challenges Asim Munir To Contest In Elections
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has accused Pakistan’s military leadership of interfering in politics and challenged army chief Asim Munir to remove his uniform and contest elections. He also criticised calls for civilians to support armed campaigns against militant groups.
Fazlur Rehman Challenges Asim Munir
Addressing a rally in Kasur, Punjab, Rehman said military officials seeking political influence should enter electoral politics and allow voters to decide their future.
“If you want to do politics, then take off the uniform and come,” he said, urging the army leadership to participate directly in elections instead of allegedly influencing governments from behind the scenes.
Rehman accused the military establishment of deciding which political parties should form governments and which leaders should be removed from power.
JUI-F Chief Rejects Civilian Militias
The remarks followed Munir’s appeal for civilians to support Pakistan’s armed forces in the fight against militant organisations.
Rehman rejected the suggestion that ordinary citizens should form militias or armed groups. He said counterterrorism and national defence were the responsibilities of state institutions funded by taxpayers.
The JUI-F leader warned that arming civilians could create long-term cycles of revenge, violence and instability. He said he would not establish any militia to perform duties assigned to the military and security agencies.
Pakistan Security Crisis Draws Criticism
Rehman also claimed that the Pakistani government had lost effective control over parts of Balochistan, where separatist violence has intensified.
He said the deteriorating security situation had spread into Pashtun-majority areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, resulting in growing casualties.
His remarks represent one of the strongest recent public challenges to Pakistan’s military establishment by a prominent political leader.
