The leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party, continuing his criticism of the government and the army’s policies, has challenged the accusations and claims by Pakistani officials regarding the movement of militants from this side of the so-called Durand Line to the other side.
Maulana Fazl ur Rahman, speaking recently at a gathering in Rawalpindi in a tone of astonishment, said that at a time when the transfer of commercial goods and fruits from Afghanistan to Pakistan has been banned, how is it possible for armed militants to cross over?
The JUI leader Maulana Fazl ur Rahman stated:
“They say terrorists cross into Pakistan from that country. Fine—if they do come, then stop them and kill them. They have not lodged any complaint with you about that. What is truly astonishing is that not even a single pomegranate from Afghanistan can be brought into Pakistan, fruits cannot come from Afghanistan, yet terrorists can come!?”
Maulana Fazl ur Rahman described Pakistan’s foreign policy as completely failed and said that the ruling establishment not only has poor relations with Afghanistan but also with India, China, and Iran, and that everyone is dissatisfied and at odds with it.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader also called Pakistan’s government unsuccessful, saying that every general formulates policy according to his own will, and due to a lack of coordination and internal disagreements among them, killings have reached the heart of Pakistan, Islamabad.
In this regard, Maulana Fazl ur Rahman said:
“For more than four decades, blood has been shed from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Balochistan. My question is: why does the bloodshed not stop there? Who makes the policies? One general comes and says we will negotiate and reconcile; another says no, we will fight. There should be one policy by which countries are run. If tomorrow another general comes, the policy will change again. The government is practically nonexistent here.”
Fazl ur Rahman further added that Pakistani authorities hide their failures behind pleasant and sympathetic statements and want to deceive the nation through them.
According to him, this country, from the royal era in Afghanistan up to the present, has not gotten along with any Afghan government and opposes them under one pretext or another.
Political analyst Rohullah Hotak says:
“These statements largely reflect reality. Maulana is an influential religious and political figure in Pakistan, and it is clear that his stance on this issue represents an opposition position.”
Analysts say that Pakistan’s national and international legitimacy is under question due to anti-people policies, and therefore it tries to conceal its weaknesses and shortcomings and involve its neighbors.
In their view, contrary to its claims, Pakistan pursues interference and misguided policies in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and is now reaping the harvest of the seeds it has sown.
Military affairs analyst Hikmatullah Hikmat says:
“It is Pakistan that, since its creation, has interfered in the affairs of its neighbors, sent terrorists, and overthrown governments there; but now it is seeing the results of its actions. Unless domestic politics are brought into an Islamic, humane, and democratic framework, Pakistan will continue to face these problems and will never be able to control them.”
Pakistani politicians are criticizing the policies and strategies of Pakistan’s government and army toward Afghanistan and other neighbors at a time when officials of the Islamic Emirate have repeatedly described the ongoing security situation there as Pakistan’s internal issue and say that Afghanistan and Afghans are not involved.
Just recently, on Sunday, officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, and several other institutions emphasized at a graduation ceremony for national army officers that Afghanistan does not interfere in the affairs of other countries, but it will also not sit idly by in the face of aggression or threats from any other country.
