‘Have heard big words before’: JUI-F chief takes dig at Asim Munir, recalls 1971 Pakistan surrender

Islamabad, Aug 24 (IANS) Senior Pakistani leader and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has launched a sharp attack on Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, recalling the country’s humiliating defeat in the 1971 war against India and warning that prolonged oppression, violence and bloodshed could eventually lead to fresh geographical changes in the region.

Addressing a JUI-F convention in Peshawar, Rehman questioned the military establishment’s repeated claims of strength and its aggressive posture while pointing to the hardships being faced by ordinary people across the country.

Taking a direct swipe at the top military leadership, the JUI-F chief said, “We are the protectors of this country. No one’s father can harm this country. I agree, you are very powerful,” while questioning whether such assertions of power could protect the country from internal turmoil and growing public distress.

Rehman then drew a parallel between the present-day statements of Pakistan’s military leadership and the events surrounding the 1971 war with India. He recalled how the Pakistani military had made strong declarations of continuing the fight until the very end before eventually surrendering in Dhaka.

The 13-day India-Pakistan war in December 1971 ended with the surrender of around 93,000 Pakistani troops in Dhaka on December 16. The defeat resulted in the collapse of Pakistan’s eastern wing and ultimately led to the creation of Bangladesh.

Recalling the statements made by then Pakistan President and military ruler General Yahya Khan shortly before the surrender, Rehman said the establishment had made similarly strong claims in the past but failed to deliver on those declarations when the situation reached its decisive stage.

“But I remember, and maybe some elders will too, that in December 1971, one day before laying down arms, General Yahya Khan had addressed the Army and had said, ‘We will fight in the streets, deserts, fields, factories, mountains, and we will fight against them. We will fight’. We heard these big words then, too,” Rehman said.

“Why are you putting the country and the people to the test? Why are you having fun when your public is suffering?” Rehman asked, highlighting what he described as the continuing distress of the Pakistani people.

Referring to the prolonged period of conflict and bloodshed in the region, he said that violence and instability had continued for decades, raising concerns over their possible consequences for the country’s future.

“When the revolution came in Afghanistan in 1989, and the war started… It’s been 45-46 years; blood has been flowing for about half a century. When blood flows like this, then it is a sign of geographical changes,” the JUI-F chief stated.

“If it is a sign of oppression. Then at least inform us of your intentions. We are tolerating it and will continue to tolerate it,” Rehman said.

Additionally, Rehman has slammed Asim Munir, alleging that powers belonging to Parliament and the federal government have been concentrated in the hands of one individual.

“You may be the Army Chief, Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal too — we have no objection to that — but the powers that should belong to Parliament have been handed over to a single individual in the establishment,” he said.

Fazlur Rehman further alleged that Parliament could be sidelined in future lawmaking and constitutional amendments, saying: “Bringing the government onto their path and keeping it under the boot may be easier for them.”

“And they say that if any decision needs to be made, the federal government will do it — meaning Parliament has been sidelined from it too,” Fazlur Rehman added.

He said the opposition must unite inside Parliament to resist what he described as a fundamental shift in constitutional powers.

–IANS

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