Pakistan Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has triggered a sectarian and political controversy after telling Shia clerics that those who “love Iran so much” should “go to Iran”. The remark, made at an iftar event in Rawalpindi, has been described by Shia religious leaders as insulting and inflammatory.
Shia clerics have accused the Pakistani army of “working against Pakistan’s interests at the behest of the US and Israel”, and “destroying the nation by toppling governments”. Shia Ulema Council Pakistan Central Vice President Allama Syed Sibtain Haider Sabzwari, asked Munir to “leave Pakistan if you love your masters, Israel and the US, so much”.
Munir’s warning to the Shias followed the community’s protests over American and Israeli aggression on Iran, and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Earlier this month, at least 35 people were killed in Pakistan as security forces cracked down on people protesting Khamenei’s killing, in Karachi, Skardu and Islamabad. Shias regard the seat of the Ayatollah as their Supreme Religious Guide (Marja-e-Taqlid), whose fatwas and guidance shape their daily religious, social, and political conduct.
It was after these protests in Pakistan that Munir warned that violence in Pakistan over events in another country would not be tolerated. The “go to Iran” remark, reported by multiple outlets, has now drawn an angry response from sections of Pakistan’s Shia clergy.
WHAT DID ASIM MUNIR SAY ON IRAN? WHY HAS IT CAUSED OUTRAGE?
According to a March 20 report in Pakistani daily Dawn, Munir told Shia clerics during an interaction in Rawalpindi that “violence over events abroad won’t be tolerated”. That in itself was a warning from the military leadership after Pakistan saw protests linked to developments in Iran.
A statement from the Pakistani military’s mouthpiece, ISPR, said that Munir interacted with the Shia clergy, where “matters of national security and the role of ulema in societal harmony came under discussion”.
“If you love Iran so much, then go to Iran,” Munir told the community leaders, said Pakistani Shia cleric Allama Muhammad Shifa Najafi in a video, reported Pakistan24, a Pakistani news portal. “Let me tell you, Jinnah was a Shia,” Najafi said in the video.
That is the remark from Munir that has now detonated politically.
Shia clerics said that the community’s expressions of grief and anger over Iran were being seen as a question of loyalty to Pakistan. Munir’s warning has angered clerics who say Pakistani Shias are rooted in the country’s history and politics, and cannot be casually painted as outsiders or as people whose loyalties lie elsewhere.
After the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, at least 35 people were killed and more than 70 wounded near the US consulate in Karachi as protests turned violent. The demonstrations were largely led by members of Pakistan’s Shia Muslim community.
Pakistan is a Sunni-majority country, but it also has one of the world’s largest Shia populations. Shias form around 20% of Pakistan’s poulation.
SHIA CLERICS UP IN ARMS OVER MUNIR’S ‘GO TO IRAN’ REMARK
The backlash from clerics has been fierce in tone.
Video statements circulating online show clerics accusing the Pakistan Army of insulting ulema and working against Pakistan’s interests at the behest of the US and Israel.
In the speeches, some clerics are heard saying the establishment acts on the instructions of “Donald Trump and the American establishment” and carries out “regime change” in Pakistan.
“Because of you people, working at the behest of Donald Trump and the American establishment, you work inside Pakistan against Pakistan’s interests. You bring about regime change here. Whatever devastation the country is facing right now is because of American slavery and because of you people. It is not because of us. We are the well-wishers of Pakistan. We are the ones who helped create Pakistan. We are the ones who have contributed to Pakistan’s construction and progress. Therefore, I just want to say that you should come to your senses. Donald Trump and his friend Netanyahu… America and Israel… Their boat is sinking,” said Shia clerica, Allama Syed Ahmed Iqbal Rizvi, the Vice Chairman of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen said.
