By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Defence minister on Wednesday lambasted the opposition leader in parliament for remarks that he said belittled the sacrifices of the armed forces, amid a heated exchange that underscored ongoing tensions between the government and critics over the military’s role in national affairs.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told the National Assembly that Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s recent description of the army as a “force of four districts” was “highly irresponsible” and amounted to a “deliberate attempt to malign” a national institution.
Asif, speaking during a session of the lower house, stressed that the army represented the entire federation, with personnel drawn from all provinces. “It is the force of the federation, with representation from all provinces,” he said. “It is the force of the entire country.” He went on to list figures from a document on how different parts of Pakistan are represented in the army, based on the 2023 census. The breakdown showed 51.1 percent from Punjab, 16.28 percent from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20.52 percent from Sindh, 6.04 percent from Balochistan, 2.54 percent from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and 3.52 percent from minorities.
Asif slipped up at first and said Punjab’s share was 91.1 percent, but he quickly fixed the number. He spoke about the losses the military has suffered in operations against militants.”Over the past five years, 3,141 personnel, including officers, junior commissioned officers, and jawans have embraced martyrdom in this fight,” Asif said. He broke it down as 170 officers, 212 junior commissioned officers and 2,759 soldiers, and added that they came from every corner of Pakistan.
Asif said Achakzai’s words were meant to make light of those deaths and hurt people’s feelings. He said someone in Achakzai’s role should know better than to say such things. Asif made clear that the battle against militants involves the whole nation, not just one area. “Martyrs are our red line … We are indebted to the martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for our safety and protection.”
He talked about the harsh nature of the conflict. “We are in the middle of a very bloody war. Daily …,” Asif said, before the live broadcast from the assembly cut out for less than a minute. When it came back, he went on: “such attacks and behaviour, the spilling of blood is not allowed in our religion.” “The bodies of our soldiers are decapitated after their martyrdom. This is also happening. It is happening in Tirah Valley.”
Asif turned to the role of politics in the country’s troubles. “We are fighting a war for our political interests. If someone says that we are fighting for the country, then they are wrong. We are fighting a war for our political interests and power,” he said. “Over the past 60-70 years, whenever someone was deprived of power, they fought for it, and there were no underlying principles in that fight.” “And then a voice is raised in this house that it (army) is a force of four districts. I don’t want to use any strong words for this house as it has earned me immense respect.”
He added that if people step over boundaries marked by the blood of soldiers to push their own agendas, they do not belong in parliament. Asif mentioned that no one from Balochistan speaks out when people from Punjab are killed after checks on their identity cards. “I don’t believe in provincial discrimination, but I take strong exception [to Achakzai’s remark].” He put forward a motion to recognise the military’s heavy losses in the struggle against militants, and the assembly approved it. The motion stated that the deaths of those killed would not be forgotten and that the people stand with the armed forces. It spoke of the military’s skills, courage and commitment, and gave full backing to its work in keeping the country safe and stable.
Achakzai came into the session after Asif had started speaking and stood by what he had said earlier. He said he would keep calling out those who oppose democratic ways. “You have punished us for supporting democracy,” Achakzai said. He asked if the assembly was there to defend military rule. Achakzai also said Pakistan’s ties with Afghanistan would stay poor as long as the country treats its neighbour like another part of itself.
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