LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Senator Sirajul Haq told US Consul General Zachary Harkenrider here on Tuesday that the JI was not against America or its people but the US policies.

The American diplomat had called on the JI chief at Mansoora and discussed with him matters of mutual interest.

Mr Haq said that a majority of the Americans also supported the JI viewpoint in regard to the policies of their government.

He said that Pakistan had paid a heavy price in the war on terror and the ammunition used on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border during this war was much more than what had been used at Hiroshima. He said the harmful effects of this would continue for centuries as numerous fatal diseases had already surfaced in the area.

The JI chief noted that all issues could be sorted out through dialogue. He said that all sides should stick to the principles of justice, equality and true democracy.

Sirajul Haq said that there was organized state terrorism behind the recent bomb blasts in Peshawar and also in fanning sectarian and factional differences in the country.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Voice of the Christian International headed by its Director Samuel Piyara, also called on the JI chief.

The JI chief told the delegation that the party considered the non-Muslims living in the country as Pakistani community and not a minority. He said that all the citizens had equal rights and all the minorities had full religious freedom.

He appreciated the services of the organization in the fields of education, health and employment.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2015

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