26 July 2004	Monday	08 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

ISLAMABAD, July 25: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentary leader in Senate, Ishaq Dar, has said that sending of Pakistani troops to Iraq is aimed at organizing "massacre of the Muslims through hands of the Muslims".

The PML-N leader was reacting to the information minister's statement in which he said that Pakistani troops would be sent to Iraq only on three conditions. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had stated that Pakistan would consider sending troops to Iraq, if the people of Iraq made an appeal, other Muslim countries also send their troops and the parliament gave an approval in this regard.

Mr Dar said the moment UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the appointment of Jehangir Ashraf Qazi as his envoy to Iraq, the Pakistani citizens were perplexed, adding that now the statement of Sheikh Rashid had invigorated their doubts.

The PML-N leader said as far as the request by Iraq was concerned, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, had already issued a statement requesting Pakistan to send its troops. However, Mr Dar made it clear that if all three conditions were fulfilled, even then the PML-N and the people of Pakistan would never allow the dispatch of troops to Iraq.

The PML-N leader said if any attempt was made to send Pakistani troops, it would create strong reaction inside the country which the rulers would not be able to bear. He reminded that Pakistani hostage, Amjad Hafeez, was set free by his kidnappers because at that time Pakistani troops were not present inside Iraq.