December 21, 2001	Friday	Shawwal 5, 1422

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DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Dec 20: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI), has said the United States is the world’s terrorist No 1, which despite itself sponsoring terrorism, is making a hue and cry against it.

He said everyone knew what role the US had been playing for long. He was talking to journalists at Abdul Khail on Thursday morning.

The West has started a new crusade against Islam and it is affecting the global peace, he said. The Jews and Christians had never been sincere with the Muslim world but “our rulers have adopted a wrong track which could bring disaster.”

He said Gen Musharraf would have emerged as a national hero had he stood firm on Afghan issue. He said certain Jewish lobbies were trying to pit the rulers against the religious parties. The latter had no dispute with the former except on the question of Afghanistan, he added.

He asked the government to remain conscious of this conspiracy, which, if not foiled, “would lead to the country’s disintegration.”

The UN’s role is also highly objectionable which is playing in the hands of United States like a puppet, he remarked.

The Maulana criticized the attack on Indian Parliament and termed it a well-planned conspiracy “hatched by Raw and Mosad to defame Kashmiris and to get Pakistan declared a terrorist country.”

He said Indian government itself was behind this incident to gain specific targets, including getting passed the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Bill (POTO).

He said the bill was about to be tabled in the Indian parliament when this incident took place. It was done only to convey to the parliamentarians that terrorism was also affecting the legislature.

He said if the episode was made a lame excuse to thrust a war on Pakistan, all the Jihadi groups and forces would be flanking Pakistan army in defence of their country.