Amid Pahalgam attack tensions, cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi asks people if Pak wants war with India, gets no response

In a stark and symbolic moment that has gone viral, Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi, a controversial cleric of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid, faced an unexpected silence when he asked his audience whether they would stand with Pakistan in the event of a war with India. Not a single hand was raised.

This incident came nearly two weeks after the deadly April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives and has since pushed India-Pakistan tensions to a new high.

While Islamabad braces for possible diplomatic and military fallout, dissent within Pakistan’s religious and social fabric is becoming increasingly visible.

Addressing students and followers at Lal Masjid – a site long associated with extremism and state confrontation – Ghazi said, “I have a question for you. Tell me, if Pakistan fights against India, how many of you would support Pakistan and fight for it?” (No hands are raised)

“This means there is enough understanding,” he continued.

Ghazi went further to criticise the Pakistani establishment, saying, “Today, Pakistan has a system of disbelief – a cruel, useless system. It is worse than India.”

The cleric also cited atrocities in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accusing the Pakistani state of bombing its own people.

“What happened in Balochistan, what they did in Pakistan and across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – these are atrocities. When the people were ready, the state bombed its own citizens.”

The video, recorded at Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid on May 2, has sparked outrage on Pakistani social media.

Experts view the moment as a reflection of growing disillusionment inside Pakistan, not just with its civil-military leadership, but with its ideological stance on India.

When clerics of Lal Masjid – a place once synonymous with radical calls – no longer find support for war against India, it’s a sign of deeper fractures within Pakistan.

The internal dissent, paired with recent nuclear posturing and panic-driven diplomacy in Islamabad, paints a picture of a nation increasingly unsure of its footing both at home and on the international stage.