LOWER DIR: Jamaat-i-Islami former chief Sirajul Haq on Wednesday said that no power in the world could defeat Pakistan, but warned that the country faced greater threats from within than from outside.

Addressing a ceremony at a seminary in Lal Qila area, he said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were “burning” and that enough blood had already been shed in both provinces. “This cycle must end,” he said, linking the prevailing unrest to unemployment and insecurity.

Mr Haq claimed that the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that even highly educated individuals were being driven to extremism.

He called on the federal and provincial governments, along with the establishment, to sit together and pull the country out of its multiple crises.

He urged Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to prioritise peace and development within the province instead of undertaking frequent visits to Punjab and Karachi, saying the chief minister represented not just his party but around 40 million people of the province.

Stressing the need for local ownership in restoring peace, Mr Haq said lasting stability could not be achieved without taking local communities into confidence. He suggested the recruitment of at least 50,000 personnel into the police to improve law and order.

The former JI chief warned that political instability was fuelling insecurity and hampering development, and called on the federal and provincial governments to resolve their differences to ensure political stability, without which peace and progress were impossible.

Referring to international affairs, Mr Haq criticised US President Donald Trump, accusing him of arrogance and aggression against weaker countries, and said such policies would ultimately meet a downfall. He alleged that the US maintained its forces in Gulf countries and that several Arab states relied on American troops for their security.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2026