PESHAWAR, April 19: The NWFP senior minister Sirajul Haq has urged the federal government to provide financial assistance to the Hamas government and said the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal may launch a fund-raising campaign for the Palestine government.

He was speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday.

He said that the alliance would collaborate with other religious organisations in the country for the campaign.

Mr Siraj returned from Iran on Wednesday after attending the third Al-Qudus Conference in Tehran.

He said that the conference discussed the Palestine issue and set up the Al Qudus Fund for the liberation occupied Palestinian territories.

“I regret that Islamabad did not send any delegate to attend the conference,” he said. He said that the Iranian government had formally invited Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain for the conference.

Criticising the government’s foreign policy, he said that it seemed that Pakistan had ignored what he termed the Muslim bloc and supported the US over Iran’s nuclear programme, adding that it also appeared to be reluctant to support Hamas government.

“Islamabad must put its weight behind Tehran and Hamas. The federal government must not waste its resources to fulfill agenda of the West”, he said.

He said that during his stay in Tehran, he had assured Iranian leaders that Pakistani people would support Iran if the US attacked the country.

The NWFP’s senior minister, who is also provincial chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, urged the federal government to follow Tehran’s policy and announce financial assistance for Palestine government.

He said that he would brief the MMA’s supreme council about his Tehran visit.