Pakistan, July 24 -- Every soldier receives a salary. No soldier receives a salary for dying. That distinction should be obvious, yet Pakistan's increasingly polarised political discourse has made even the meaning of sacrifice vulnerable to controversy.

Recent remarks attributed to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, made while discussing terrorism and the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, triggered strong reactions after he referred to soldiers killed in the line of duty in the context of their being salaried personnel assigned to defend the country.

The controversy raises a question larger than one politician or one statement: how should a democracy discuss its military, national-security policies and those who ...