A prominent Pakistani religious and political figure Maulana Fazlur Rehman has sharply criticized the country’s military, accusing it of exceeding its constitutional authority, interfering in politics, and failing to reassert government control in violence-plagued Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, News18 reported.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman has delivered one of the sharpest rebukes of Pakistan’s military establishment in recent months, accusing Field Marshal Asim Munir and the armed forces of losing control over Balochistan and meddling in politics.

Speaking at a rally in Qasur, Punjab, the veteran politician and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief declared that the military had overstepped its constitutional role and challenged Munir to shed his uniform and contest elections if he wished to play a political role.

Rehman rejected Munir’s recent appeal for civilians to stand alongside the army in its fight against militant groups. He argued that defending the country was the military’s constitutional responsibility and that civilians should not be asked to wage battles that soldiers are paid to fight.

He said, “Your youth wear the uniform for this very purpose. They are paid salaries to defend the country’s security. Why do you throw the favour of your blood on me?”

He painted a grim picture of Pakistan’s security situation, claiming the state had steadily lost control over large parts of Balochistan and that violence had now engulfed Pashtun-majority regions as well. He declared that “the entire Baloch region had slipped out of Pakistan’s control” and warned that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was now drowning in blood, citing more than fifty bodies received in just two or three days.

Rehman criticised the military’s strategy of asking civilians to confront armed groups, warning that such policies would deepen social divisions and create generational vendettas. He said the armed forces were pushing the homeland toward murder and plunder, leaving behind cycles of personal vendettas that would last for generations.

He accused the military of repeatedly stepping into domains reserved for elected institutions, stressing that parliament, government departments, and the army each had their own boundaries.

He insisted that the army should remain within its own sphere of authority and not interfere in politics. He reminded the military leadership that they too were Pakistanis and brothers, but must respect constitutional limits.

Rehman reserved some of his sharpest criticism for what he alleged was the military’s long-standing role in shaping governments. He argued that the armed forces had taken it upon themselves to decide who should govern and who should be removed, and insisted that if they wished to rule, they must face the voters directly.

He said, “If you want to do politics, then take off the uniform and come; participate in the elections, and it will become clear what votes people give to those in uniform.”

His remarks amount to a direct challenge to Munir’s authority and revive the long-running debate over the military’s role in Pakistan’s politics and internal security.

They also highlight the growing frustration among mainstream political figures over the army’s dominance in governance and its failure to restore stability in violence-hit regions.

Agencies