HYDERABAD, Sept 23: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl senator Hafiz Hamdullah has said the anti-Islam movie is a farce, which has been staged deliberately just seven weeks ahead of elections in the United States to garner support for unpopular wars in Muslim countries.

“We must use our brains to see who exactly stand to benefit from the blasphemous movie,” the senator said at a press conference at the residence of Jay Parkash Dhirani, patron of Young Hindu Panchayat, here on Sunday.

He said that if only 50 per cent Islamic system had been functioning in the country, no Hindu would have migrated from here.

Because of complete breakdown of law and order, well-to-do people, regardless of their religion and sect, were kidnapped for the sake of money, he said.

If true teachings of Quran were propagated in the society and taught in academic institutions, minorities would soon get full rights without fear and discrimination, he said.

He blamed army generals for wreaking havoc on national economy and said if JUI-F came to power it would, like Turkey and Egypt, sack all generals responsible for the economic mess.

He criticised Rs6 billion annual defence budget despite “very disappointing performance as militants are routinely targeting military installations throughout the country.” There was a huge trust deficit between masses and armed forces, he said. He said that General (retd) Pervez Musharraf held the Constitution in abeyance and he, therefore, must be punished under Article 6.

“The country is being ruled by money and for money and by lies and for lies…endangering sovereignty and national economy,” he said.

About Karachi, Mr Hamdullah said that innocent people were being butchered daily in the city in the name of Mohajir, Pakhtoon, Baloch and other ethnicities. “If we want to save Pakistan from internal and external threats, we will have to act upon teachings of Quid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah…,” he said. He lashed out at successive governments and said the governments had not been beneficial for Muslims in particular nor for Hindus but for rulers only. “We are equal victims of an unjust system. We, therefore, must express solidarity with Hindus and other minorities,” he said He urged people to join JUI-F which, he said, made no difference between its Muslim and non-Muslim workers.

A minority JUI-F senator Heman Das appealed to Hindus to join the party and said that he had been associated with the party for 14 years.

He tried to dispel a misunderstanding among minorities that there was a religious party behind killing of non-Muslims and said no religious party was involved in killings or harassment of any non-Muslim.

Chaitram M Dhirani, Dileep Daultani, Dr Chandi Ram Shahani and leaders of JUI-F were present on the occasion.