Islamabad
\nChief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has said Afghanistan will have to choose between what he described as Fitna al-Khawarij and Pakistan, warning that a majority of militant groups infiltrating across the border comprise Afghan nationals.
\nMunir made the remarks while addressing the National Ulema Conference in Islamabad on December 10. While official details of the address were limited at the time, excerpts from his speech circulated publicly on Sunday.
\nHe said militant groups were targeting Pakistani citizens, including children, and alleged that such activities were being carried out with the backing of the Afghan Taliban. He claimed that around 70% of militant formations infiltrating from Afghanistan consisted of Afghan nationals.
\nAddressing religious scholars, Munir said that in any Islamic state, the authority to declare jihad rests solely with the state, not with individuals or groups, stressing the need for unity and discipline in matters of faith and security.
\nReferring to May\u2019s conflict with India, the army chief said Pakistan had witnessed what he described as divine support during Operation Bunyan al-Marsous, while citing Quranic verses during his address.
\nHe also spoke of what he termed a conceptual link between the \u201cState of Tayyaba\u201d and Pakistan, saying both were founded on the principles of the Kalima Tayyaba during Ramadan.
\nMunir said nations that abandoned the intellectual and scholarly legacy of their forefathers, and the pursuit of knowledge, ultimately faced decline.
\nThe conference was attended by religious scholars representing all major schools of thought from across Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has said Afghanistan will have to choose between what he described as Fitna al-Khawarij and Pakistan, warning that a majority of militant groups infiltrating across the border comprise Afghan nationals. Munir made the remarks while addressing the National Ulema Conference in Islamabad on December 10. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481578,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-521255","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n