Overview
- Speaking at a Majlis-e-Ittehad-e-Ummat gathering in Lyari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman questioned the military’s rationale for cross-border action in Afghanistan and urged dialogue over force.
- Rehman argued that justifying strikes in Afghanistan would logically permit India to claim the same rationale for targeting sites such as Bahawalpur and Muridke inside Pakistan.
- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif called the comparison "wrong and inappropriate," citing a UN report to say India’s May operation was illegal and Pakistan’s response was justified.
- ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry refuted Afghan Taliban allegations of Pakistani strikes, as October reports of cross-border attacks and ensuing clashes remain disputed.
- Rehman coupled his critique with broader calls for constitutional supremacy, asserting that political authority belongs to elected leaders rather than defence institutions.