BANNU, Oct 17: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that religious parties cannot be ignored in national and international politics any longer.

Addressing a workers’ convention here on Wednesday, Maulana Fazl recalled that in the past, religious parties had no say in national politics, but now the situation had completely changed.

Blaming the United States for injustices all over the world, he said: “Pakistanis, especially people in tribal areas are suffering the consequences of the wrong policies of our rulers. Tribal region is being set afire in the name of war on terrorism.”

Maulana Fazl said that tribal people’s only mistake was that they had opposed foreign aggression in Afghanistan. “Tribesmen did not start the war, rather the war was imposed on them by the rulers at the behest of Americans and for their own interests,” he said.

“Tribesmen only want to preserve their independence and live in peace. Americans must remember that tribal people will not give up their independence in return for development projects,” he said.

According to him, tribesmen want to decide their fate in accordance with their traditions and the withdrawal of troops from North and South Waziristan.

“Army’s presence is not conducive to peace in the area. The situation will deteriorate with the presence of troops. Pakistani and US government must realise that the very idea of restoring peace by force was a blunder,” he said.

Urging tribesmen to forge unity and thwart attempts to disturb peace in the area, he said that the government was trying to pitch tribesmen against each other under a conspiracy.

“The army must not interfere in politics. It must work as a government institution. We are not only opposing Gen Pervez Musharraf but anyone who tries to push the army into politics,” he said.

Criticising Benazir Bhutto for having struck a deal with a dictator, he advised the PPP leader not to talk about democratic norms or democratic culture in the country and said: “I pity the workers of the party whose leadership has always compromised democracy in exchange for coming to power,” he said.

On the issue of resigning from parliament, Maulana Fazl said that his party did not believe in politics of resignations.

“We tried to tell APDM leaders, especially Qazi Hussain Ahmad, that resignations could not block Gen Musharraf’s bid to get re-elected. We cannot be held responsible for the outcome and political fallout of resignations,” he said.