The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) leader and opposition chief of Pakistan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has condemned the military to the utmost for its cross-border operations in Afghanistan, bluntly accusing it of double standards and moral inconsistency.

Rehman, while addressing the Majlis-e-Ittehad-e-Ummat conference held in Karachi’s Lyari Town, posed the question to the authorities in Islamabad that how can they justify their attacks inside Afghanistan when they have opposed similar actions by India. He made a comparison of Pakistan’s supposed military actions bordering the Afghan side with that of India’s past wars taking place and reasoned out that the logic used by Pakistan defeats its own argument against New Delhi.

The JUI-F leader not just claimed but actually blamed the military operations of the Pakistan Army under General Asim Munir for the death of civilians in Afghanistan. He further pointed out that if Pakistan claims such attacks across the border are legitimate, it not only loses the grounds for its opposition but also becomes a thing of ridicule if India was to carry out similar operations for the purpose of elimination of militants within the territory of Pakistan.

Rehman, while referring to the locations of Indian strikes such as Bahawalpur and Muridke, along with the militant headquarters alleged to be responsible for Kashmir attacks, said that Pakistan’s position becomes untenable when it engages in similar tactics. “If we rationalize hitting our foes outside the border, then India can rightfully claim the same,” he said and this time did not only question but pointed out the inconsistency of Pakistan’s policy.

The remarks made by the JUI-F chief are in the context of the tensions in the region becoming more acute and the debate about the military’s involvement in cross-border operations and their political and humanitarian impacts in Pakistan being revived.