QUETTA, Oct 29: Religious leaders on Monday criticized the President Pervez Musharraf’s government for supporting US-led military strikes on Afghanistan and said their protests would grow until this policy was reversed.

Supporters of the Afghan Taliban movement also pledged to wage Jihad against the United States if it carried on with the bombing of Afghanistan.

“The only answer to America, Al-Jihad, Al-Jihad,” “The only answer to Jews, Al-Jihad, Al-Jihad”, chanted thousands of protesters who had assembled in central Quetta on the call of Taliban supreme leader Mulla Mohammad Omar.

“Mulla Omar march forward, we are with you,” was another popular chant of the crowd.

Most speakers at the rally, organized by the Jamiat Ulema-i- Islam (JUI) party, said Musharraf had become ineligible to lead the country by siding with what they called infidels against Taliban’s Islamic government.

JUI acting chief Maulana Abdul Ghani strongly branded America “Kafir-i-Azam”, “Goonda-i-Azam” and “Shaitan-i-Azam” and said the party followers would join Taliban forces.