The leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has claimed that the Pakistan Army abandoned its “martyrs” in India during the 1999 Kargil War and was not prepared to retrieve their bodies.
Speaking at a gathering held at the Islamabad Convention Centre, Fazlur Rehman, without directly naming the military, said that the Pakistani armed forces have still not informed the public about how many soldiers were killed during the Kargil conflict and how many bodies were recovered.
Fazlur Rehman alleged that the Indian side buried the bodies of Pakistani soldiers according to Islamic traditions and said that the body of Colonel Sher Khan was also handed over to Pakistan following pressure from India.
He emphasized that he understands the significance of the status of a “martyr” and opposed what he described as the political exploitation of the sacrifices made by soldiers. He also stated that those responsible for propaganda campaigns against him and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam should apologize, not him.
In response to these remarks, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, without naming Fazlur Rehman, said that insulting the country’s martyrs was unacceptable and that those who make statements about martyrs for political purposes should apologize to the public.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
