Senior Pakistani religious leader and politician Maulana Fazal Ur Rehman has condemned attacks on Afghanistan carried out under the pretext of targeting militant groups, calling such actions unjustifiable and counterproductive.

He urged both Kabul and Islamabad to resolve their disputes through dialogue and political engagement rather than military means.

Speaking at a gathering of Pakistani religious scholars titled “Pakistani Ummah Unity,” Fazal Ur Rehman, who heads the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party, criticized Pakistan’s security approach toward Afghanistan.

Addressing Pakistan’s military leadership, he questioned the rationale behind cross-border actions, asking why attacks are justified against Afghanistan when similar logic is rejected in response to Indian strikes inside Pakistan.

“If you justify attacks on Kabul by claiming your enemies are present there, then why is your response different when India targets its enemies inside Pakistan?” he said.

Fazal Ur Rehman warned that continued tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan serve the interests of neither country and risk further destabilizing the region.

He stressed that dialogue, mutual respect, and political understanding remain the only sustainable solutions to long-standing disputes between the two neighbors.

The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 U.S. ambassadors and senior career diplomats to ensure embassies align with President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, a move critics say could weaken U.S. credibility abroad.

The State Department declined to name those affected, with a senior official calling the recalls a routine step for new administrations. The official said ambassadors are the president’s representatives and must advance his policy priorities.

However, officials familiar with the matter said the recalls largely affect career Foreign Service officers posted to smaller countries, where ambassadors are traditionally non-partisan. Those ordered back to Washington were encouraged to seek other roles within the State Department.

The American Foreign Service Association said some diplomats were notified by phone without explanation, calling the process “highly irregular” and warning that such actions risk harming morale and U.S. effectiveness overseas. The State Department did not respond to the criticism.

The move, first reported by Politico, comes as Trump seeks to place loyalists in senior roles during his second term, after facing resistance from the foreign policy establishment in his first.

Democrats have criticised the decision, noting that around 80 ambassadorial posts remain vacant. Senator Jeanne Shaheen said the recalls undermine U.S. leadership and benefit rivals such as China and Russia.

Pakistan has reached a military equipment deal worth more than $4 billion with Libya’s eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), Pakistani officials said, despite a long-standing United Nations arms embargo on the country.

The agreement was finalised following a recent meeting in Benghazi between Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Saddam Khalifa Haftar, the LNA’s deputy commander-in-chief. Officials said the deal will be implemented over about two and a half years, Reuters reported.

According to officials familiar with the agreement, the package includes air, land and naval equipment and may involve the sale of JF-17 fighter jets and Super Mushak trainer aircraft. Estimates of the deal’s value range between $4 billion and $4.6 billion, making it one of Pakistan’s largest-ever defence exports.

The LNA confirmed entering a defence cooperation pact with Pakistan, covering weapons sales, training and military manufacturing, though it did not provide details. Haftar described the agreement as the start of a “new phase of strategic military cooperation.”

Libya has been under a UN arms embargo since 2011, requiring international approval for weapons transfers. It remains unclear whether exemptions have been sought. Pakistani officials said the deal does not violate UN restrictions, noting that several countries continue to engage militarily with Libyan factions.

Pakistan has been actively expanding its defence exports, promoting its domestically produced and China co-developed JF-17 fighter as a lower-cost alternative to Western aircraft.
The Libya agreement would mark a significant expansion of Pakistan’s defence footprint in North Africa amid growing international competition for influence in the country.