Hina Rabbani Khar, who used to serve as the Pakistan minister, is back in the memories this time over her protection of Hafiz Rauf—the man who is being accused of being an agent of the Lashkar-e-Taiba organization and attacking the top power holders of the country, such as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and General Asim Munir. This is a bold and unheard statement and has sent tremors through the already weak political and security system of Pakistan.
The viral video posted all over social media also shows how Rabbani is pointing a finger at what she considers to be political hypocrisy: that the state has acted blind to some actors while blatantly picking out some viewers as the enemy in a move to appease those abroad. Her position has attracted alarmist notices from both international watchers and the political establishment of Islamabad.
Former Pak Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaking to Al-Jazeera, claimed that thousands of Abdur Raufs exist in Pakistan. Lashkar terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf, who led the funeral at Muridke, was a completely different person.
Proving terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf’s innocence is… pic.twitter.com/6p5CBwrn4h
— OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) July 8, 2025
Defending Hafiz Rauf: A Controversial Move
Remarks made by Rabbani seem to endorse Hafiz Rauf, who also seems to be a senior member of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. By fortifying his point, he asked her why some are criminalized and when others are politically accepted. The move is not only a contentious one but also one that could be detrimental to the diplomatic story of Pakistan, with FATF (Financial Action Task Force) remaining to watch the level of its actions against terror.
Many viewed her defence of Rauf as an overture to the policies of the deep state in Pakistan. Her opponent has claimed that this would trigger backlash at the international level, although to some in Pakistan, this would be regarded as a voice of opposition to the military-political nexus that controls domestic policy.
Targeting Shehbaz and Asim Munir: A Bold Accusation
Unexpectedly, Hina Rabbani was not left behind, as she accused PM Shehbaz Sharif and General Asim Munir of controlling the narrative and oppressing voices using state machinery. She was suggesting that this kind of suppression is of utmost profit to the international powers at the expense of the sovereignty of Pakistan. Such allegations are important, as their source is a former diplomat who once had a hand in the foreign policy of Pakistan.
Her remarks have a more serious implication for political competition as to the essence of the civil-military imbalance in Pakistan and the use of state apparatus to determine what constitutes acceptable narratives.
