LAHORE: Deputy Senate Chairman and Jamiat Ulema-i- Islam-F Secretary-General Abdul Ghafoor Haideri visited on Monday the headquarters of the Jamaat-i-Islam (JI) and Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) to “explore possibilities of alliance among the religious parties”.

At the JI headquarters, Mr Haideri said that his party had formed a committee to contact religious parties, especially those who believed in democratic values and participate in electoral politics, for developing a consensus to maintain “religious identity of the country and momentum for Kashmir struggle”.

He said that only religious parties could provide leadership, which was selfless and honest and they must step forward or the country would lose on national issues like Kashmir due to internal divisions among parties and rampant corruption at the national level.

Liaquat Baloch of the JI said that the religious parties and their vote bank were realities of the country. These parties believe in democratic institutions and that any change at the national level should only come through elections. But they also believe that corruption must end and the country should have a robust accountability process, which operates independent of any pressures.

The parties also believe that education system and cultural values were also under attack, and to protect them is the duty of all.

Later, at the JuD headquarters, the JUI-F leader held a meeting with head of political affairs Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki and other leaders and addressed a joint press conference.

They announced a nationwide struggle to express their strong support to Kashmiris and resist efforts to secularise the country. Conspiracies were being hatched against the ideology of Pakistan, which would not be allowed to succeed.

The Kashmir issue is not a matter of concern for any single party or group but a national issue. Any solution imposed on Kashmiris against their wishes will be rejected.

They also condemned the detention of Hafiz Saeed and his allies, saying it weakened the Kashmir cause.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2017