LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday criticised Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for what she described as his support for those backing terrorism, saying she had not expected such a stance from a senior politician who had himself been a victim of terrorism.
In a statement on X, the chief minister said, one would not expect a senior politician like Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who has himself been a victim of terrorism, to support those who back terrorism. Instead of holding accountable those responsible for the ruin of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through incompetence, ineptitude, and corruption, speaking in their favour is deeply regrettable.
Those in whose support statements are being issued should be asked: In thirteen years, did they even attend the funeral of a single martyr? On the contrary, they provided shelter to terrorists, nurtured them, and supplied them with resources, safe havens, and land from their own province to launch attacks on Pakistan.
These are the same people who piled up heaps of incompetence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, destroyed the lives of its people, and offered them up to terrorism. The province’s precious resources were squandered on sit-ins and protests, and thirteen valuable years were sacrificed to corruption and ineptitude.
The words of Maulana Sahib about that field commander who, in the battle for truth, led the country to a historic victory, and under whose leadership Pakistan earned the honour of safeguarding the Haramain Sharifain, have wounded the heart of every patriotic Pakistani.
The officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army are even today taking bullets to the chest to eradicate the cancer of terrorism. Every day, some mother’s piece of liver, some sister’s brother, and some woman’s husband returns home wrapped in the green crescent flag. Rather than saluting the blood of these martyrs and standing with your army, siding with those who obstruct the path to eliminating terrorism is unworthy of you.
Your party has itself endured the wounds of terrorism; your companions have attained martyrdom. And those in whose support you stand today are the same ones who, until yesterday, used the most indecent language against you and launched personal attacks. For the victims of terrorism to stand with those who back terrorism is, at the very least, beyond my comprehension.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, no one but PTI itself is responsible for the end of its own government.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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