LANDI KOTAL: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has expressed reservations over security agreement between Afghanistan and the United States of America, saying it will further complicate situation in the region.

Addressing a public meeting at Landi Kotal on Thursday, he said that Afghanistan would become a centre of conspiracies against its neighbouring countries with the prolonged stay of US and its allied forces which was legalised through the signing of bilateral security agreement (BSA) by the new Afghan government.

He urged Afghan President Dr Ashraf Ghani to pave the way for early exit of all foreign troops from his country as it would help to bring peace in the region and end the more than a decade long war.

Applauding the goodwill gesture of the new Afghan president towards Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami chief Gulbadin Hikmatyar, the JI chief said that the new government in Afghanistan should remove the names of Mullah Omar and Gulbadin Hikmatyar from its ‘blacklist’.

Mr Haq said that his party was wanted to extinguish the fire, which engulfed the entire Afghanistan and Pakistani border areas. He offered to play the role of a mediator to bring lasting peace in the region.

About the backwardness of tribal areas, the JI chief said that allocation of billions of rupees in the name of so-called development funds was only eyewash as most of the funds were squandered by the officials of political administration.

The JI chief said that the Fata chapter of his party would take suitable action against the corrupt officials if they failed to provide a credible audit of the funds spent on development.

“The Jamaat wanted to place the Holy Quran in the offices of all political agents so that they abandon corruption and perform their official duty in accordance with the teachings of Quran,” he said.

Mr Haq demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to pay regular visits to all tribal agencies and ask the local administration to resolve the problems of tribal people on priority basis. 

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2014