LAKKI MARWAT, Jan 24: Former senior minister NWFP Sirajul Haq said that the tribal areas and Swat district were faced with Gaza-like situation as hundreds of thousands of people had migrated from the troubled areas besides scores of others were massacred during the military operation and US-led drone attacks.

“The only difference between the situation in Gaza strip and our tribal areas was that the former is targeted by its arch enemy Israel, while the latter has been turned into a battle zone in the name of so-called war against terror just to appease the United States,” Siraj said, while speaking at a public meeting at Naimatabad, Naurang area here on Saturday.

JI Peshawar district ameer and former MNA Sabir Hussain Awan, Lakki Marwat district ameer Prof Sher Ghulam, secretary general Sabz Ali Khan Naveed and Anwar Hayat Khan also spoke on the occasion.

Criticising the provincial nationalist rulers, Sirajul Haq said that Awami National Party grabbed votes in the name of bringing peace, but after assuming power in the province the ANP leaders had failed to keep their promises. “Lawlessness, joblessness, price hike, shortage of daily use commodities and deteriorating law and order situation are the gifts that the government has bestowed upon the people during the last one year,” he maintained, calling upon the political and religious leaders not to divide people on communal and nationality basis rather to string them into oneness and unity.

Sirajul Haq said that the country was passing through a critical juncture and if the prevailing US-appeasing policies were not changed, the rulers would be responsible for steering the country towards destruction. He said that the religious leaders of JUI could not serve Islam nor they could fool the people any more by supporting President Zardari who he alleged ‘was playing in the hands of America’.

The JI leader urged the government to implement upon the resolution unanimously adopted by the parliament in letter and spirit in order to restore peace in the restive tribal regions and other settled parts of the Frontier province.

He called upon the people to join hands with Jamaat-i-Islami for the enforcement of Sharia in the country.