Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday launched a sharp critique of Pakistan’s military establishment and its handling of the country’s growing militancy problem. Rehman questioned how terrorists continue to enter Pakistan when even basic goods from Afghanistan cannot cross the border.
Addressing a public gathering in Rawalpindi, Rehman mocked official claims that militants were infiltrating Pakistan from Afghanistan, pointing to what he described as glaring contradictions in border control enforcement.
“The strange thing is that not even a single pomegranate or a melon from Afghanistan can enter Pakistan, and yet somehow, terrorists come into the country,” he said.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman Questions Pakistan’s Long-Standing Afghanistan Policy
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said Pakistani citizens are increasingly questioning the country’s policymakers over decades of failed engagement with Afghanistan. He asked why no Afghan government, across vastly different political systems, has been able to work successfully with Islamabad.
“The people of Pakistan want to ask why nobody, from Zahir Shah to today’s Amarat-e-Islamiyah, has been able to work with Pakistan,” he said.
Listing Afghanistan’s political transitions over the decades, Rehman argued that Pakistan’s policies had failed regardless of who was in power across the border.
“Different people came. A communist government came, a jihadist-led ruling came, the Taliban’s regime came, and so did the pro-Pakistanis. Yet, before criticising, have you ever thought why my Afghan policy has been failing for the last 78 years?” he asked.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s question to the Field Marshal and DG ISPR:
If even fruits cannot cross from Afghanistan into Pakistan, how are terrorists entering?
And why has Pakistan never been willing to cooperate with any Afghan government, from Zahir Shah’s era to the present? pic.twitter.com/RZSdYIXblY
— برهان الدین | Burhan uddin (@burhan_uddin_0) February 8, 2026
‘If Terrorists Are Coming, Stop Them’: Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Maulana Fazlur Rehman also challenged the state’s repeated assertions that militants were entering Pakistan from Afghan territory, arguing that responsibility ultimately lay with Pakistan’s own security apparatus.
“The authorities say terrorists are coming into Pakistan from Afghanistan. If they are coming, then stop them, eliminate them,” he said.
He added that Afghanistan’s current leadership had not opposed Pakistani security action along the border. “The Afghan government has never objected to your moves,” Rehman stated.
Expanding his criticism beyond security issues, the JUI-F chief described Pakistan’s broader foreign policy as a “total failure,” arguing that the country’s diplomatic approach had proven damaging rather than beneficial.
He said Islamabad’s diplomacy had not only failed to secure regional stability but had also contributed to internal insecurity.
Who Is Maulana Fazlur Rehman?
Born on June 19, 1953, in Dera Ismail Khan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman is a veteran figure in Pakistani politics. He comes from a prominent political family – his father, Mufti Mahmud, served as the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Rehman was actively involved in the 1980s Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), which sought to end General Zia-ul-Haq’s military rule.
He currently serves as president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), one of Pakistan’s major religious and political parties. He also previously headed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the opposition alliance that successfully brought a no-confidence motion against then-Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022.
From 1988 to 2018, Rehman was a member of the National Assembly through direct elections or party representation. He also served as Leader of the Opposition from 2004 to 2007.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman is known to maintain a relationship with the Afghan Taliban.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
