ISLAMABAD: Leaders of Islamist political factions in Pakistan on Friday rallied against a French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, for republishing sacrilegious images of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and demanded immediate expulsion of the French ambassador from the country.
The protest demonstrations were organized in various cities by groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik, Sunni Tehreek and Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen.
The participants of the rally said they would not tolerate “blasphemous acts” against their religion, adding that the publication of controversial sketches was yet another manifestation of Islamophobia in the guise of free speech and expression.
Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly publication, was attacked by Islamist gunmen in 2015 after it published anti-Islam images that offended a large number of Muslims and led to widespread protests.
The publication printed the same material again as a court began to try some people who allegedly facilitated the attack.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday denounced the magazine’s decision to republish the sketches, pointing out in a video message that such caricatures hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the world.
Meanwhile, the magazine’s management announced on Friday that its latest edition had sold out in just one day, and a new batch of 200,000 copies would hit newstands on Saturday.
Protesters in Pakistan demand expulsion of French ambassador as Charlie Hebdo sells out latest edition
https://arab.news/ce6pk
Protesters in Pakistan demand expulsion of French ambassador as Charlie Hebdo sells out latest edition
- The French satirical magazine republished anti-Islam images that resulted in an attack on its office in 2015
- Pakistan has already denounced Charlie Hebdo’s decision to republish material that hurt ‘the sentiments of millions of Muslims’
Pakistan army chief assumes role as first Chief of Defense Forces, signaling unified command
- New role is held simultaneously with Gen Asim Munir’s existing position as Chief of Army Staff
- It is designed to centralize operational planning, war-fighting doctrine, modernization across services
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s most senior military officer, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, formally took charge as the country’s first Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) on Monday, marking a structural change in Pakistan’s defense command and placing the army, navy and air force under a single integrated leadership for the first time.
The new role, held simultaneously with Munir’s existing position as Chief of Army Staff, is designed to centralize operational planning, war-fighting doctrine and modernization across the services. It reflects a trend seen in several advanced militaries where a unified command oversees land, air, maritime, cyber and space domains, rather than service-level silos.
Pakistan has also established a Chief of Defense Forces Headquarters, which Munir described as a “historic” step toward joint command integration.
In remarks to officers from all three forces after receiving a tri-services Guard of Honor at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Munir said the military must adapt to new theaters of conflict that extend far beyond traditional ground warfare.
He stressed the need for “a formalized arrangement for tri-services integration and synergy,” adding that future war will involve emerging technologies including cyber operations, the electromagnetic spectrum, outer-space platforms, information warfare, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“He termed the newly instituted CDF Headquarters as historic, which will afford requisite integration, coherence and coordination to meet the dynamics of future threat spectrum under a tri-services umbrella,” the military quoted Munir as saying in a statement.
The ceremony also included gallantry awards for Pakistan Navy and Air Force personnel who fought in Marka-e-Haq, the brief May 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India, which Pakistan’s military calls a model for integrated land, air, maritime, cyber and electronic combat. During his speech, Munir paid tribute to the personnel who served in the conflict, calling their sacrifice central to Pakistan’s defense narrative.
The restructuring places Pakistan closer to command models used by the United States, United Kingdom and other nuclear-armed states where a unified chief directs inter-service readiness and long-range war planning. It also comes at a time when militaries worldwide are re-engineering doctrine to counter threats spanning satellites, data networks, information space and unmanned strike capabilities.
