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| November 23, 2005 | Wednesday | Shawwal 20, 1426 |
Qazi demands withdrawal of decision on relief work
LAHORE, Nov 22: Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmad has demanded that all decisions taken so far about relief activities be withdrawn and parliamentary committee on relief be empowered to determine its future course of action about the relief work.
He told reporters here on Tuesday that the decisions he had raised objections against had been made by the controversial National Security Council.
He said the MMA would consult other opposition parties before arriving at any conclusion about becoming part of the process. The religious alliance wanted to make parliament an effective supreme body.
Replying to a question about the outcome of the just-concluded donors conference, the Qazi said announcement made by various participants were mere pledges or loan offers. Questioned if the government should accept the offers, the JI leader said loan was always a kind of tax on which the nation had to pay interest.
He said if Muslim countries forged unity in their ranks, “we can get rid of the foreign aid to meet the aftermath of Oct 8 earthquake.”
Replying to a question about demilitarization of Line of Control, he said Gen Pervez Musharraf was using the earthquake as a cover to further an agenda dictated by the United States.
He said India was killing the Kashmiri people and would not withdraw its troops from occupied Kashmir.
He said Nato forces had entered Pakistan under the cover of earthquake but they harboured plans about what he called Greater Middle East stretching from Morocco to Indonesia.
TURKISH DELEGATION: A 10-member delegation of Turkish Saadet Party called on the Qazi here on Tuesday.
Headed by M. Recai Kutan, the party chief, the delegation is visiting Pakistan to find facts about the damage caused by the Oct 8 earthquake.
Party vice-chairman Temel Karmollaoglu, Mustafa Koylu, Jan Soyo and Abdul Ghaffar Aziz, director, foreign affairs of the Jamaat, were also present on the occasion.
Mr Soyo presented a cheque for Rs15 million to the Qazi for the quake-hit people.
Mr Kutan expressed deep sense of grief and sorrow over the devastation caused by the earthquake. He said Saadet Party would set up relief centres in quake-hit areas.
He thanked the Jamaat’s social welfare body, Al-Khidmat Foundation, for their hospitality extended to them.
Meanwhile, Abdul Hadi Awang, head of Islamic Party from Malaysia, also called on Qazi Husain and apprised him of the relief operation being carried out by the Malaysian medical teams under the banner of Al-Khidmat.
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