MP Fazlur Rehman Calls Out Pakistan’s ‘Double Standards’ On Cross-Border Strikes

A Pakistani lawmaker has openly criticised Islamabad’s military policy, drawing a sharp parallel between Pakistan’s strikes on Afghanistan and India’s recent counter-terror operation, Operation Sindoor. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman questioned Pakistan’s moral and political consistency, arguing that if cross-border attacks on Afghanistan are justified, Islamabad has little basis to oppose similar Indian actions against terror targets inside Pakistan.

Addressing the Majlis-e-Ittehad-e-Ummat conference in Karachi’s Lyari, Rehman condemned Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir for operations that reportedly caused Afghan civilian casualties. He said Afghanistan is now accusing Pakistan of the same actions Islamabad levels against New Delhi, exposing what he called a clear contradiction.

Rehman referred to India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, when Indian forces carried out precision missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Bahawalpur and Muridke, following the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir that killed 26 civilians. Pakistan responded with attempted drone and missile strikes, which India said were repelled.

A long-time critic of Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy, Rehman has previously offered to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul and remains a rare Pakistani leader to have met Taliban chief Haibatullah Akhundzada.

India has also condemned Pakistan’s recent strikes on Afghanistan, citing civilian deaths and reaffirming support for Kabul’s sovereignty. Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained locked in tense relations since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, with mutual accusations of cross-border militancy.