No defence pact under discussion at Tehran meeting, Asif tells NA

ISLAMABAD: A swipe by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman over Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s absence from a recent meeting in Tehran drew a sharp response from the minister in National Assembly on Thursday, with Asif insisting that no defence pact was under discussion at the meeting.

Speaking on a point of order, Asif responded to criticism levelled by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief a day earlier, defending his absence from the Tehran meeting and criticising Maulana Rehman’s political record.

“There was no defence agreement being negotiated in Tehran, and no defence minister attended the meeting. There was no need for me to be there,” he said.

Rehman had questioned why Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, rather than Defence Minister Asif, accompanied Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Field Marshal Asim Munir to the meeting in Iran, where a “defence pact” was reportedly being discussed.

Unable to respond to the JUI-F chief on Wednesday, the defence minister returned to the issue on Thursday, sarcastically thanking him for expressing concern over his absence before turning to his political record.

The October 26 meeting in Tehran brought together Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Turkiye’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei also participated.

Asif maintained that the gathering was not a meeting of defence ministers and that no defence agreement was being negotiated.

He said Field Marshal Munir had played a role in promoting reconciliation and regional peace following the military conflict over the preceding year or so.

The minister added that he had been involved in both defence agreements but did not elaborate on their terms.

Turning to Rehman’s political history, Asif accused him of criticising others while overlooking his own participation in successive governments and political alliances.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026