Ministers Condemn Maulana Fazlur Rehman Over 'Insensitive' Remarks on Military Personnel Senior Pakistani ministers, primarily from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have publicly criticized Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), for remarks he made during a political rally in Kasur, Punjab. The comments, which linked the sacrifices of military personnel to their salaries, were deemed "unfair" and "morally insensitive" by several officials, sparking a wave of condemnation. Fazlur Rehman, who addressed the rally on May 16, 2026, discussed the security and terrorism challenges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. During his speech, he mentioned that soldiers’ martyrdom was often cited, adding that personnel received salaries for fighting for the country. This statement, however, drew sharp backlash from multiple ministers. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif expressed disappointment, stating that Fazlur Rehman’s words "diminished the value of the great sacrifices of our martyrs." Asif emphasized that the sacrifice of military personnel was rooted in ideology, duty, and love for the homeland, not financial compensation. The defence minister accused Fazlur Rehman of "moral insensitivity" for reducing the valor of security forces to a transactional exchange. He argued that such remarks hurt the sentiments of martyrs’ families, including widows and orphaned children. Asif’s critique was amplified by his call for politicians to respect the "ideology, association, love, and sacrifice" of those who gave their lives for the nation. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar echoed these sentiments, highlighting the nation’s debt to martyrs and their families.#khawaja_asif #pakistan_muslim_league_nawaz #jamiat_ulema_i_islam_fazl #attaullah_tarar #ahsan_iqbal
