- Official says army has nothing to do with politics.
- Achakzai demands governance share, representation.
- Asif asks Achakzai not to launch attacks on armed forces.
LAHORE: A senior security official has condemned Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s “unfortunate remarks” on the Pakistan Army, saying that his statement was “extremely regrettable and based on falsehoods”.
The opposition leader, during the NA session a day earlier, described the Pakistan Army as a “force of four districts”, triggering a strong response from the government.
“Dialogue was the right of all political parties… and the army had nothing to do with politics,” the security official said while speaking to journalists in Lahore.
He added that all legal and judicial cases, and matters linked to them, must be decided by courts in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
Referring to the security situation, the senior official said recent meetings aimed at restoring peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were encouraging. He added that visits to educational institutions further showed that the younger generation stood firmly with the Pakistan Army, and no narrative could weaken the bond between the people and the armed forces.
The officer underlined that the war against terrorism was not only the responsibility of the security forces, the army, police or the Frontier Corps, but of the entire nation. He also said that India was behind all sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, adding that “Fitna-ul-Hindustan” was an enemy of the Baloch people and a hurdle to the development of Balochistan.
Addressing the lower house of parliament a day earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif termed the opposition leader’s statement as irresponsible and a deliberate attempt to malign a national institution, saying that Achakzai was entitled to hold his views but should not launch attacks on the armed forces.
He asserted that the armed forces were reaffirming their oath through martyrdom in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Asif said such a statement was unexpected and inappropriate, particularly coming from someone holding a national office.
“Every sensible individual knows that the Pakistan Army represents the entire country. Its identity is national, not regional,” he said, adding that the armed forces had rendered immense sacrifices over the past five years.
Citing official figures, the defence minister said that 3,141 personnel had embraced martyrdom during this period. “From 2021 to February 2026, 170 officers were martyred, along with 212 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and 2,759 soldiers,” he said.
“The Pakistan Army is not the force of any one province or district. It continues to suffer losses on a daily basis in the fight against terrorism,” he reiterated. He further stated that more than 200 terrorists had been killed in Balochistan, noting that Islam did not permit bloodshed. “Our soldiers are being brutally targeted, their heads severed,” he said.
However, Achakzai stood by his remarks while responding to the defence minister in the National Assembly.
He said his people had made the greatest sacrifices against the British, accused successive governments of punishing them for supporting democracy, and claimed that policies had pushed Pashtuns towards economic ruin.
Achakzai said his community deserved its due share according to population and demanded a rightful role in governance. Questioning the role of the legislature, he asked whether parliament existed to legitimise martial laws, while also stating that he saluted an army that remained within the constitutional framework.
