Fazl then turned Asif’s own words against him, repeating a phrase the defence minister had previously used to taunt PTI
“A defence pact is taking shape in Iran, a meeting is under way (there), and the defence minister is sitting here,” Fazl said, drawing laughter and desk-thumping in the House. “There is your respect and stature — koi sharam hoti hai, koi haya hoti hai (have some shame, show some modesty),” he said, breaking into laughter. Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif was mocked in Pakistan’s National Assembly after Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman took a jibe at him over Field Marshal Asim Munir’s participation in a high-level regional security meeting in Iran, questioning why the defence minister was absent from the talks. Pointing to Naqvi’s presence at the meeting, he asked: “The interior minister is required there as well?
Fazl then turned Asif’s own words against him, repeating a phrase the defence minister had previously used to taunt Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Fazl raised the issue during his address to the National Assembly on Wednesday, referring to a meeting in Tehran attended by Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, alongside senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, according to a report by Dawn.
He said the discussions had nothing to do with Pakistan’s defence or any related matter and argued that Munir had assumed a role focused on maintaining peace and dialogue following last year’s military conflict with India. The meeting brought together Munir, Naqvi, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, alongside senior Iranian officials, to discuss regional security and cooperation. Responding in the National Assembly on Thursday, Asif denied that a defence pact was being negotiated in Tehran.