LAHORE, Jan 11: Jamaat-i-Islami Secretary General Syed Munawwar Hasan said on Sunday that “non-state actors” would face Indian aggression in the event of failure of the government to defend the country.

At a large rally organised by the Tehreek-i-Tahaffaz-i-Qibla-i-Awwal at Masjid-i-Shohada Chowk, Mr Hasan said the “non-state actors” always came in the field when the state failed to fulfill its responsibilities. He said the Indian government was accusing Pakistan of the Mumbai attacks to divert its public attention from increasing internal dissent but the Pakistan government was showing its “slavish” mentality by defending the violation of its airspace by the Indian planes.

The “non-state actors” would now counter India in the same manner that they were fighting the US and Israel.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Sami) Amir Senator Samiul Haq said the Ummah was facing threats from Israel, India, the US and Europe but the rulers of Islamic countries were advancing the American agenda and declaring “jihad” terrorism. The government outlawed Jam’at al Dawaa and placed “patriotic” leaders like Prof Hafiz Muhammad Saeed under arrest and that it conferred awards on the Americans involved in massacre of Palestinians, he said.

Jamiate Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Maulana Amjad Khan said that the UN Security Council and world human rights organisations had not taken notice of massacre of Palestinians and rulers of Islamic countries seemed to be waiting for the death of the last Palestinian.

JUI-F Secretary General Ajmal Qadri said that religious parties should mount pressure on the government for adopting independent policies instead of following the American dictates.