In Pakistan's National Assembly, a veteran opposition voice turned a minister's own sharp phrase back on him, and the laughter that followed carried a serious question beneath it. The question concerns who sits at the table when a nation's security is being shaped abroad, and whether elected civilians are present where military and regional pacts are negotiated. As Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey pursue a joint defence understanding in Tehran, the moment reminds us how old tensions between parliament and power resurface through wit as much as argument.
Fazlur Rehman Turns Khawaja Asif's 'Have Some Shame' Line Back on Him Over Tehran Defence Talks
A defence agreement is being made in Iran, and the defence minister is sitting here
Mark
Why did a one-liner get so much attention?
Mimi
Because it was Asif's own catchphrase. He used it years ago against PTI lawmakers, and it became a meme. Rehman said it to him in the House.
Mark
And the substance behind it?
Mimi
Rehman asked why the defence and foreign ministers weren't part of the Tehran talks on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Field Marshal Asim Munir was there, with the Saudi defence minister and Turkey's intelligence chief.
Luke
Be careful about what is established. The talks and who attended are reported. Rehman's framing, that civilians were sidelined, is his claim.
Mark
Did Asif respond in the House?
Luke
The report doesn't say. We know he said a day after the meeting that Pakistan would defend Saudi Arabia with full force under the pact. That isn't a reply to Rehman.
Mimi
Naqvi, the interior minister, did go to Iran on an earlier visit with Munir, so civilians weren't entirely absent from the wider effort.
Mark
What about the Charter of Democracy call?
Mimi
He wants coalition and opposition to write a new one to strengthen parliamentary supremacy.
Luke
It's a proposal, nothing more yet. No one has been reported as taking it up.
Il Polso
- A defence minister's signature catchphrase was thrown back at him on the floor of the National Assembly, and lawmakers erupted in laughter.
- Talks in Tehran on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement went ahead without the defence or foreign ministers in the room, sparking a charge of absent civilian oversight.
- The video spread quickly on social media after JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza shared it, pushing the quarrel beyond the chamber.
- Field Marshal Asim Munir led Pakistan's delegation alongside Saudi and Turkish envoys, while the Defence Minister insisted Pakistan would defend Saudi Arabia with full force.
- Maulana Fazlur Rehman has called for a new Charter of Democracy, and the government's answer on civilian involvement remains the open question.
In Pakistan's National Assembly, a veteran opposition voice turned a minister's own sharp phrase back on him, and the laughter that followed carried a serious question beneath it. The question concerns who sits at the table when a nation's security is being shaped abroad, and whether elected civilians are present where military and regional pacts are negotiated. As Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey pursue a joint defence understanding in Tehran, the moment reminds us how old tensions between parliament and power resurface through wit as much as argument.
On Wednesday in Pakistan's National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the JUI-F, stood up and handed Defence Minister Khawaja Asif his own words: "Koi sharam hoti hai, koi haya hoti hai," roughly, "Have some shame, have some decency." The lawmakers laughed, because the phrase belonged to Asif, who had once aimed it at PTI members and watched it become a popular meme.
Beneath the joke was a pointed complaint. Talks in Tehran on Monday brought together Pakistan, represented by Field Marshal Asim Munir, along with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. They met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to advance the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed in August, with the aim of easing regional tensions. Rehman asked why the defence and foreign ministers, who should answer to parliament, were not in that room, and whether the interior ministry had any role to play.
The exchange reached far beyond the chamber once Senator Kamran Murtaza shared the video. Rehman also insisted that Pakistan belongs to its citizens rather than to any single general, urged restraint from violence, and called for a new Charter of Democracy to strengthen parliament. The next move now rests with the government, which must answer whether civilians were meaningfully involved in the Tehran talks.
On Wednesday, in Pakistan's National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), turned to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was sitting in the House, and handed him back his own words. The remark was "Koi sharam hoti hai, koi haya hoti hai," roughly "Have some shame, have some decency." Lawmakers laughed.
Rehman's point was about who had been in the room in Tehran. A defence agreement was being worked out in Iran, he said, while the defence minister sat in the Assembly. He said the same of the foreign minister, then asked whether the Ministry of Interior also had a duty there. He closed by asking whether there was no shame and no modesty.
A video of the exchange was shared by JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza and then gained traction on social media.
The criticism followed talks in Tehran on Monday involving representatives of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Pakistan was represented by Field Marshal Asim Munir, its Chief of Defence Forces. Saudi Arabia sent Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, and Turkey sent intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. They met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior Iranian officials.
The three visitors were acting on behalf of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed in August. Their talks centred on regional security and on efforts to prevent another military escalation. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had also gone to Iran with Munir on an earlier visit. A day after the Tehran meeting, Asif asserted that Pakistan would defend Saudi Arabia with full force under the pact.
The line landed because it was Asif's own. Years earlier he had used the same words in Parliament against lawmakers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the phrase later circulated widely as a political meme. This time Rehman aimed it at him.
Beneath the joke was a serious complaint about the civilian government's role in national security decisions. Rehman questioned why the ministers responsible for defence and foreign affairs were not directly involved in the negotiations.
He also said Pakistan belonged to its citizens, not to any individual general. He urged the government to refrain from violence. He called on the ruling coalition and the opposition to draw up a new Charter of Democracy aimed at strengthening parliamentary supremacy.
What to watch is whether the government answers the question about civilian involvement in the Tehran talks, and whether anyone takes up the proposal for a new charter.
Citazioni salienti
A defence agreement is being made in Iran, and the defence minister is sitting here.— Fazlur Rehman, National Assembly
Pakistan would defend Saudi Arabia with full force under the defence pact.— Khawaja Asif, a day after the Tehran meeting (paraphrased)
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Politics & Governance