Khawaja Asif Criticises Political U-Turns, Urges Fazlur Rehman to Abandon Politics of Personal Interests
SIALKOT:Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has criticised what he described as political U-turns by political parties, saying it was unfortunate that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was leading this trend. He urged politicians to abandon politics driven by personal interests.
Addressing a gathering in Sialkot, the defence minister pointed out that a person had previously claimed that calling Fazlur Rehman “Maulana” was a sin, while a leader of the same party was now describing it as fortunate to have him standing alongside them.
Khawaja Asif said such contradictory political positions reflected the changing nature of political alliances and expressed regret over the role of personal interests in politics.
Highlighting Pakistan’s defence achievements, the minister credited the country’s military institutions with the success of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, arguing that civilian governments had not played a role in these achievements.
He said the history of the country’s defence had been written through the blood of its martyrs, adding that thousands of personnel had sacrificed their lives to protect Pakistan.
“These sacrifices were an investment in the future of Pakistan and our children,” he said, questioning whether the sacrifices made by those who defended the country could be compared with anything else.
Referring to former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, Khawaja Asif recalled that Maulana Fazlur Rehman had stood alongside Musharraf when the latter was directly in power, while he himself had politically criticised the former military ruler.
The defence minister also alleged that Fazlur Rehman had been made opposition leader despite the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) having stronger claims to opposition representation based on their political mandates.
Discussing the political developments following the removal of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Khawaja Asif said the PML-N had favoured holding immediate elections, but Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other political parties had opposed the proposal.
He further referred to Fazlur Rehman’s role in the previous government, claiming that the JUI-F chief had held expectations regarding the benefits of participating in the government.
Khawaja Asif concluded by saying that Pakistan’s political leadership should demonstrate the same determination in governance that the armed forces had shown in defence and diplomacy.
He specifically referred to Pakistan’s engagements with Iran, the United States and Saudi Arabia, crediting Field Marshal Asim Munir with leading efforts that, according to him, had produced diplomatic and defence successes.
