Lahore court seeks NCCIA reply on plea against Fazlur Rehman over remarks on martyrs

LAHORE: A sessions court in Lahore on Wednesday issued a notice to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on a petition seeking the registration of a case against Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman over remarks he allegedly made about security personnel during a recent public rally.

The petition was filed by citizen Mohammad Waqar and was taken up by Additional District and Sessions Judge Malik Latif. According to the plea, Fazlur Rehman made the statement at a recent party gathering in Kasur, Punjab, where he spoke about the security situation and militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In that context, he referred to repeated mentions of soldiers’ martyrdom and said that security personnel were receiving salaries to fight for the country.

Advocate Mudassar Chaudhry, representing the petitioner, told the court that his client had watched a speech by the JUI-F chief on social media in which he allegedly made derogatory remarks about Pakistan’s martyrs. Counsel argued that the speech had hurt the petitioner’s feelings as well as those of the wider public, and said the comments had also caused anguish to the families of martyrs.

Petitioner seeks registration of case

The petitioner further stated that an application had already been submitted to the NCCIA director for registration of a case against Fazlur Rehman, but, according to the plea, no action had yet been taken. He asked the court to direct the NCCIA director to proceed on the application in accordance with the law and register a case over the alleged remarks.

After hearing the arguments, Judge Malik Latif sought a reply from the agency and fixed August 17 for the next proceedings.

Political reaction to the statement

The JUI-F chief’s comments also drew criticism from federal ministers, particularly from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who described the remarks as insensitive and as undermining the sacrifices made by martyrs.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reacted to the statement on Monday night through a social media post, saying he was disappointed and describing Fazlur Rehman’s words as

unfair

Asif said he had expected a seasoned politician to exercise greater responsibility in the choice of words. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal also commented on X, stating:

To describe such an unparalleled sacrifice as merely a compensation for a salary is neither fair, nor in accordance with the demands of ethics, and nor aligned with Islamic teachings.