Fazlur Rehman Slams Shehbaz Govt Over Afghanistan Policy as Kabul Rejects Pakistan’s Terror Claims

The article examines how Pakistan's foreign policy toward Afghanistan faces scrutiny from JUI-F leader Fazlur Rehman, amid cross-border militancy claims, Afghan rebuttals, and concerns over CPEC management and regional diplomacy.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has accused the Shehbaz Sharif government of failing on Afghanistan, foreign affairs and the economy, while Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence has dismissed Pakistan’s claims about an Islamabad suicide bombing as “irresponsible and baseless”, deepening tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.

Speaking at a gathering in Rawalpindi, Rehman questioned how Pakistan blocks formal trade with Afghanistan while claiming militants cross the same frontier freely. At the same time, Afghan authorities pushed back against Pakistan’s allegations that the mosque attacker moved repeatedly between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan foreign policy Afghanistan CPEC: Rehman questions Afghan strategy

Rehman said the Afghan policy had collapsed and pointed to what was, in Rehman’s view, a clear contradiction at the border. "In all these decades, we never paused to ask why our Afghan policy failed so miserably. Not a single pomegranate or melon can enter Pakistan, yet terrorists keep crossing the border," he smiled.

Rehman then challenged the authorities’ narrative on cross-border militancy, arguing that the state must act if it truly believes militants are entering from Afghan territory. Rehman said, "Authorities say terrorists are coming from there. If they are coming, stop them. If they are coming, eliminate them. The Afghan government has never objected to your actions."

Pakistan foreign policy Afghanistan CPEC: wider diplomatic rifts

Moving beyond Afghanistan, Rehman described Islamabad’s foreign and economic strategies as broken and harmful. Rehman claimed the results were so poor that "India is our enemy, Afghanistan is our enemy, and even Iran and China are upset with us." Rehman argued that citizens have a right to know why relations with neighbours have deteriorated.

The JUI-F leader warned that isolation was deepening and that trust abroad was eroding. Rehman asserted that "a nation cannot survive when its policies produce only isolation, mistrust and insecurity." Rehman linked this state of affairs to decisions taken without democratic accountability or long-term planning.

Pakistan foreign policy Afghanistan CPEC: role of military and CPEC deadlock

Rehman argued that key choices on Pakistan’s foreign policy are made by the military leadership instead of elected institutions. According to Rehman, "One general comes and says we will negotiate; another comes and says we will wage war," creating constant shifts that unsettle partners and damage security planning.

Rehman also targeted the handling of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying mismanagement had weakened Chinese confidence. "CPEC has seen no real progress during this tenure because China no longer trusts us," Rehman said. Rehman recalled that the project had earlier slowed under former Prime Minister Imran Khan, when both sides held grievances.

Rehman questioned whether the Pakistan Democratic Movement government had delivered anything different on CPEC despite Chinese expectations. He said, "Today I ask, has even a single brick moved forward under this government?" Rehman added that, in Rehman’s view, Beijing expected the coalition to stabilise ties and improve project execution. "Instead, today China is displeased with Pakistan," he claimed.

Pakistan foreign policy Afghanistan CPEC: Afghan response to Islamabad attack blame

While Rehman criticised domestic policy, Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence publicly rejected Pakistan’s accusations after a deadly suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad. Afghan officials said Pakistan should address its own security gaps rather than blame Kabul. Afghan media reported that the ministry called the allegations "irresponsible and baseless".

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had written on X that initial findings suggested the attacker had travelled repeatedly to and from Afghanistan. The Afghan National Defence Ministry countered that Asif "immediately and irresponsibly" blamed Afghanistan without completing a proper investigation, and said this behaviour had also followed incidents in Balochistan and other attacks inside Pakistan.

Local reports said 69 people lost their lives in the suicide blast at Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers. Pakistani daily Dawn reported that over 170 worshippers were injured in the explosion on the city’s outskirts, raising fresh questions about internal security and border controls.

Together, Rehman’s criticism of Afghan, foreign and economic policy and Kabul’s angry response to Islamabad’s bombing allegations underline the strain on Pakistan’s regional relationships, from Afghanistan to China, while also exposing domestic unease over who shapes Pakistan’s choices on security, diplomacy and projects such as CPEC.