By Ahsan Mughal
KARACHI: Opposition Leader in the Sindh Assembly Ali Khurshidi strongly condemned recent remarks by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, saying the armed forces and the country’s fallen soldiers were a source of pride for the nation.
Khurshidi said the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s armed forces and its martyrs had earned the respect and gratitude of the entire country. He said protecting the honour and dignity of those who had lost their lives in the line of duty was a national responsibility shared by every patriotic citizen.
Sindh opposition leader condemned what he described as baseless propaganda, negative campaigning and hostile rhetoric against the military. He said inflammatory statements targeting the armed forces were against the country’s national interests and should be avoided.
Khurshidi said dragging national security institutions into political disputes was unacceptable. He rejected any attempt to question or politicise the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s martyrs and military veterans. He said his party had always stood with the armed forces, military veterans and the families of those who had died in service, and would continue to do so.
Khurshidi said every citizen had the democratic right to express differing political views, but added that there could be no compromise on respect for national institutions and those who had sacrificed their lives for the country.
MQM-P leader said the armed forces had made exceptional contributions to Pakistan’s security, stability and defence, and that the nation would continue to remember those services. He said honouring the sacrifices of the country’s martyrs was a collective obligation. Their memory, he added, should never be ridiculed or used for political purposes.
Khurshidi also said spreading what he described as unfounded propaganda against the military only strengthened the narrative of forces hostile to Pakistan. He said the state, national security and national interests must remain above political considerations, and no political objective could take precedence over them.
He added that hostile narratives against national institutions undermined national unity and cohesion. Pakistan’s strength, he said, lay in the trust between its people, its institutions and its armed forces.
