Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Pakistan's Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) or JUI-F, has openly challenged the country's powerful military establishment by questioning the political role of Field Marshal Asim Munir. Addressing a public gathering, Rehman remarked, "If you want to do politics, then take off the uniform and come; participate in the elections, and it will become clear how many votes those in uniform receive," directly criticising the military's growing influence over Pakistan's political system.
The statement marks one of the strongest public challenges by a major Pakistani political leader to the military's dominance under Asim Munir.
Who is Maulana Fazlur Rehman?
Born on June 19, 1953, in Abdul Khel, Dera Ismail Khan, Fazlur Rehman is the son of Mufti Mahmud, the founder of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and a former Chief Minister of the then North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
Rehman received his early religious education at local madrassas before studying at institutions including Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak. Following his father's death in 1980, he assumed leadership of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.
During the mid-1980s, the party split into two factions—JUI-F, led by Fazlur Rehman, and JUI-S, headed by Sami-ul-Haq—partly because of differing views on General Zia-ul-Haq's military rule.
Unlike the rival faction, Rehman's group joined the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), a multi-party alliance formed to oppose Zia's dictatorship. He was arrested during the anti-regime movement.
Rehman was first elected to Pakistan's National Assembly in 1988 from Dera Ismail Khan and has since secured multiple parliamentary terms.
Today, JUI-F draws much of its political support from the Pashtun-majority regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where its extensive network of madrassas and religious institutions provides it with a strong grassroots base. In Pakistan's 2024 general election, the party won 11 National Assembly seats, while Rehman himself was elected from NA-265 in Balochistan.
Long-standing pro-Taliban stance
Fazlur Rehman has long been regarded as one of Pakistan's most prominent supporters of the Afghan Taliban.
Since the 1990s, his party has provided ideological backing to the Taliban, while many of the group's senior leaders studied at madrassas affiliated with JUI-F. He opposed Pakistan's support for the United States following the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and organised several anti-American and pro-Taliban rallies across Pakistan.
After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Rehman repeatedly called for the international community to recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. He has also met senior Taliban leaders, including supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, and has consistently advocated stronger diplomatic ties between Islamabad and Kabul.
Despite deteriorating relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, marked by cross-border military strikes and mutual allegations of supporting militant groups, Rehman has continued to call for dialogue between the two countries.
Domestically, he has consistently advocated greater implementation of Sharia law in Pakistan. During JUI-F's tenure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between 2004 and 2007, the party supported the Hasba Bill, which sought to enforce Islamic moral codes. The legislation was later struck down by Pakistan's Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
At the same time, Rehman has opposed using armed violence to impose Sharia, arguing that such methods are contrary to Islamic principles and contribute to extremism.
From ally to critic of Asim Munir
Although Rehman is now among Asim Munir's most outspoken political critics, he indirectly contributed to the political developments that paved the way for Munir's rise.
In 2020, Rehman became president of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a broad opposition alliance formed to challenge Prime Minister Imran Khan's government.
The alliance successfully orchestrated a no-confidence motion that removed Khan from office in April 2022.
Following Khan's removal, the coalition government led by Shehbaz Sharif appointed Asim Munir as Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in 2022. Munir had earlier been removed as Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) by Imran Khan in 2019 after serving in the position for only eight months.
Relations between Rehman and the PDM-led government later deteriorated over disagreements regarding governance, power-sharing, and policy decisions. By late 2022 and throughout 2023, JUI-F had distanced itself from the coalition and resumed an independent opposition role.
Meanwhile, Munir's influence continued to expand. His tenure as Army Chief was extended until 2027 by the coalition government, and following Operation Sindoor in 2025, he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal before also assuming the role of Chief of Defence Forces.
Escalating criticism of the military
In December last year, Rehman criticised Pakistan's military leadership, particularly Asim Munir's handling of relations with Afghanistan. He accused the military of adopting contradictory positions regarding cross-border military operations in Afghanistan and its response to India's actions during Operation Sindoor.
More recently, while addressing a public gathering on July 12, Rehman accused the military of interfering in politics and expanding its role beyond defence and national security.
He also claimed that Pakistan was steadily losing control over Balochistan, stating that large parts of the province remained beyond the effective authority of the Pakistani government.
Rehman's latest remarks further reinforce his position as one of Pakistan's most prominent civilian leaders willing to publicly question the country's powerful military establishment and the growing political influence of Field Marshal Asim Munir.
