KARACHI, Nov 12: Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan chief Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani said here on Monday that his party was not seeking removal of the government.

Speaking at the Meet the Press Programme of Karachi Press Club, the JUP chief, who is also the convener of the Milli Yekjehti Council and a central leader of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Defence Council, made it clear that his party was opposed to government’s Afghan policy, but was not in favour of removal of Pervez Musharraf government.

He was critical of government’s high-handedness in dealing with the anti-US protests which, according to him, were peaceful and were aimed at expressing solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and showing their resentment over the government’s Afghan policy of providing airbasis to the US for a logistic support.

Therefore, he added, it was imperative upon the government to refrain from using strong-arm and brutal tactics against those protesting against the US military operations in Afghanistan in a peaceful manner.

The JUP chief was critical of the US role towards the F-16 issue, and said the recent developments, particularly the statement of US secretary of state Colin Powell, had shown US double standards.

“They (US) cannot be our friend. The F-16 planes issue is a case in point,” he said.

Lashing out at the US, he said that the bombing on UN food programme godowns, hospitals and patients were blatant acts of terrorism.

“Who is responsible for the death of millions of Iraqis owing to non-availability of medicines?”, he questioned and added that history tells that the role of US and its key ally Britain had committed innumerable acts of terrorism.

Quoting foreign newspapers, Maulana Noorani said the US military operations were, in fact, a kind of fraud, and these were, in fact, aimed at seeking possession of international resources.

He said the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was being effectively used by the US as he had made the British forces mercenaries.

Criticizing the US for maintaining double standards, he said, there had been statements that the West had apprehended that Pakistan’s nuclear programme could go into the hands of extremist elements. However, such concerns had not been aired by the US and other Western countries on India’s nuclear programme.

KPC president Khurshid Tanweer said recent happenings in the region were of serious concern and it was imperative upon the intelligentsia to provide guidance to people at this critical juncture of human history.