NOWSHERA, Oct 7: The chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and chairman of the Pakistan Defence Council, Maulana Samiul Haq, has alleged that Western and anti-Islam powers have ‘hijacked’ Malala Yousufzai to use her for their nefarious designs against the Ummah.

Talking to foreign and local reporters at his office in Darul Ulum-i-Haqqania at Akora Khattak, he said: “They are rubbing salt on the wounds of Muslims by using Malala Yousufzai against her Muslim brothers.”

Later in a press release, the Maulana urged Malala Yousafzai to come out of the “influence of western powers, stop becoming a part of their conspiracies” and serve Islam and the nation.

“Islam is not against girls’ education as thousands of other girls are getting modern education but none of them has been attacked,” Maulana Sami said.

The Maulana said that he considered Malala Yousafzai as a respected daughter of Muslim Ummat, but her actions should reflect the real essence of Islam.

The JUI-S chief called upon her to set herself free from the clutches of anti-Islam states and stop playing in hands of enemies of Islam and Pakistan.

The right to education was an integral part of Islamic philosophy, Maulana Sami said, adding that about 200,000 girls were getting education in his seminary.

Answering a question, he said that European countries had ignored the plight of Dr Aaifa Siddiqui while promoting Malala Yousafzai for their own vested interests.

Praising Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader Mulla Omar, he said that they were waging jihad against aggressors and foreign occupiers under his leadership.

“Afghans struggle is a jihad in its real sense because they are fighting against invaders on their sacred land,” he said, adding that it was the basic right of every nation to stand up to aggressors by launching an armed resistance.

In reply to another question, the Maulana supported negotia-tions with Afghan and Pakistani Taliban.

He said that US-led Nato forces and even Pakistani troops had used force to defeat what he called Mujahideen but to no avail. He urged Nato forces to withdraw from Afghanistan as soon as possible and advised Islamabad to make efforts to stop drone attacks.

The Maulana said that he supported sincere and serious endeavours for lasting peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

To another question, he rejected US allegation that madressahs were fomenting militancy and terrorism and said that they were citadel of peace and had been preaching religious harmony over the past 200 years in the Sub-continent.

Maulana Sami said that none of the people wanted by the United States had acquired education at a seminary and most of them had been educated at modern educational institutions.