Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that while the entire nation stands united against India, the same unity cannot be expected if tensions rise with Afghanistan. He stressed the need for improving relations with the neighbouring country and warned that flawed policies had caused growing tension along the Pak-Afghan border.

Addressing the “Solidarity with Palestine & Services of Shaheed Maulana Hamidul Haq” conference in Islamabad, which was attended by PTI leader Asad Qaiser and former Jamaat-e-Islami head Sirajul Haq, Fazlur Rehman said, “We belong to a tradition where martyrdom is not mourned but the mission of the martyr is carried forward with renewed resolve.”

He said Pakistan’s religious seminaries were not just centres of learning, but ideological institutions that played a vital intellectual role. “We must not lose hope. Our movement must now move forward,” he said.

Criticising the international narrative, he said that while Hamas was declared a terrorist organisation, “we called their representatives mujahideen and welcomed them to our rally on October 14, just days after the war began on October 7.” He urged Pakistan’s government to take a firm stand for Palestine and call an OIC session, stressing that “Pakistan must become the voice of the Palestinian people.”

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The JUI-F chief said there were growing global and domestic lobbies pushing for the recognition of Israel, warning that such efforts must be resisted. He asserted that “Palestine is under Israeli occupation, and it is not our place to speak of a two-state solution when the Palestinians themselves demand a single state.”

He recalled that in 1917, 98% of the population in Palestine was Arab, with only 2% Jewish presence. “Now, even the International Court of Justice has declared Israel a war criminal,” he said.

On regional matters, he criticised the government and military establishment for policies that have led to worsening relations with Afghanistan. “Afghanistan suffered 20 years of war, and like the Taliban, Hamas was also branded a terrorist group. But we never accepted that label,” he said.

Fazlur Rehman further said that while countries like India, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, and Afghanistan are strengthening economically, Pakistan’s economy is on the decline. “The establishment must admit it lacks a strong political backing,” he said. “If there’s conflict with India, the nation will be united—but that will not be the case in a conflict with Afghanistan.”