Trouble For Asim Munir? In a startling display of public dissent following the tensions between India and Pakistan, a video has emerged from Islamabad showing worshippers refusing to back the Pakistan Army when asked about their stand in the event of a war with India. The incident, led by prominent Deobandi cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi, has sparked intense debate about growing civil unrest and disillusionment with the country’s military establishment.
During a recent sermon, Maulana Abdul Aziz asked the congregation at Islamabad’s Lal Masjid to raise their hands in support of Pakistan should a war with India erupt. Not a single hand was raised. In a scathing rebuke of Pakistan’s military and ruling elite, the cleric declared, “Pakistan is more oppressive than India. At least India never bombed Lal Masjid or Waziristan.”
His comments referenced Pakistan’s own military operations—most notably the 2007 siege of Lal Masjid and repeated airstrikes in Waziristan—as examples of internal repression. He further highlighted the ongoing issue of enforced disappearances, pointing to the cases of Baloch, Pashtun, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers, religious clerics, and journalists who have vanished under the current regime.
This sentiment appears to be gaining traction, especially in tribal regions. In a separate incident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, another Islamic preacher delivered a fiery sermon condemning the Pakistan Army’s historical mistreatment of the Pashtun people.
“If India attacks Pakistan, the Pashtuns will side with the Indian Army,” he said. “They have committed so many atrocities against us Pashtun, and you think we will say ‘Zindabad’ for Pakistan? Never.”
These statements, though controversial, reflect a broader undercurrent of civil discontent. Ethnic and political groups, including Baloch and Pashtuns as well as supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI, have increasingly challenged the authority of the Pakistan Army. Many accuse it of decades-long oppression and acting as a proxy for Western geopolitical interests.
Pakistan is fearing an attack from the Indian Army in response to the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 22 in which 26 people were killed. While India has shown proof of Pakistan’s hand behind the attack, Islamabad has called for a third-party investigation into them.
