Says political parties can disagree with governments and institutions but should avoid remarks that hurt martyrs’ families
Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Memon addresses a press conference in Karachi. SCREEN GRAB
KARACHI:
Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Thursday urged Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to withdraw his recent remarks about Pakistan’s armed forces and martyrs, saying the statement had caused pain to the families of fallen soldiers and sent the wrong message at a time when the country should remain united.
The remarks were made by the JUI-F chief during a recent public gathering where his comments about the armed forces and the country’s martyrs drew strong criticism from political leaders and other quarters.
At a press conference in Karachi, Memon said he respected the veteran politician but felt he should reconsider his comments. “My request to Maulana Fazlur Rehman is that he retract his statement,” he said, adding: “Retracting your words does not diminish your stature; rather, it enhances it. We are all human and can make mistakes.”
He said the rank of martyrs remained unchanged regardless of political statements, but argued that such remarks could discourage the families of those who had sacrificed their lives for the country.
Read more: Fazl in hot water as pleas reach Punjab courts over remarks on martyrs
Memon said Indian media had amplified the remarks and questioned who could benefit from such statements. Referring to the recent conflict with India, he praised Pakistan’s armed forces, saying the army, air force and navy had successfully defended the country.
“When Pakistan and India were in conflict, the entire nation stood together,” he said, adding, “Politics will continue, but on issues relating to the country and its martyrs, we must remain united.”
Memon further said that political parties were free to disagree with state institutions and governments and pointed to the PPP’s opposition to the governments of General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf. “We were against these governments and spoke openly against them, but we never spoke against the institution or against the martyrs,” he said.
Recalling Bilawal’s reply to an Indian journalist at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Memon said Bilawal had refused to criticize Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Imran Khan while abroad despite political differences. “There should be maturity in how we present Pakistan internationally,” he said.
Memon also said that Pakistan’s security forces continued to face threats from terrorist proxy groups, adding that the country remained secure because of its armed forces, strategic capabilities and national unity. “Leave aside political divisions. Be it PPP, MQM, PTI or Jamaat-e-Islami, politics will continue but we are one nation,” he said.
Read also: PA speaker demands apology from JUI-F chief for remarks on martyrs
Talking about wheat prices earlier, Memon said the Sindh government’s anti-hoarding campaign had recovered 1.7 million tonnes of wheat from illegal stockpiles. He accused hoarders of creating an artificial shortage after what he described as a bumper wheat harvest in Sindh.
“Under no circumstances will the government allow wheat prices to rise,” he said, adding that the recovered wheat would be bought at the official government price rather than prevailing market prices.
He added that authorities had adopted a “gentle approach” to ensure people did not suffer losses, while making it clear that illegal hoarding would not be tolerated.
According to Memon, the crackdown had already reduced flour prices by Rs 13 per kilogram and he urged those who had illegally stockpiled wheat to surrender it to government warehouses or sell it to flour mills.
By law and order, Memon said the police had arrested three suspects in the killing of Dr. Akash Kumar and added that weapons, a car and two motorcycles had been recovered during the investigation. He stated that efforts were on to arrest the remaining suspects.
Responding to a question on water shortage, Memon said the Sindh government had repeatedly written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the federal government demanding that the province receive its share of water under the 1991 water sharing agreement. He added that Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had also taken up the issue with the prime minister.
He also urged the political parties not to exploit national institutions for political point scoring. He said those who made statements against the unity of Sindh were seeking confrontation rather than solutions. “Those who speak against the unity of the province want conflict,” he said. “They want us to take actions that would breathe life into their dead policy.”
Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s remarks have sparked a growing political backlash, with senior government leaders accusing the JUI-F chief of belittling the casualties of Pakistan’s armed forces. Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan publicly condemned the comments and demanded that Fazlur Rehman apologize to the nation, saying no one should be allowed to undermine the sacrifices of the country’s martyrs.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif described the remarks as “morally insensitive” and said soldiers did not give their lives just for a salary but continued to fight terrorism at the cost of their own lives. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the sacrifices of the country’s martyrs were beyond political debate, while Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said reducing their sacrifice to financial compensation was “neither fair nor in accordance with ethics or Islamic teachings”. Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi and Overseas Pakistanis Minister Aun Chaudhry also called on the JUI-F chief to retract his remarks and apologise.
Meanwhile, petitions seeking criminal proceedings against Fazlur Rehman have been filed in district courts across Punjab, with courts in Lahore and other districts seeking responses from relevant authorities in the case.
