MANSEHRA, Sept 11: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that America should change its foreign policy if it wants to eliminate terrorism from the world.

“America is not sincere in eradicating terrorism. Its anti-Muslim policies promote terrorism instead of eliminating it,” he told a gathering of party workers here on Sunday.

He said that hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslims had been killed across the world since the US launched its war against terrorism after 9/11.

“If America wants to uproot terrorism it should revisit its foreign policy and stop genocide of Muslims in garb of war against terrorism,” he said.

Mr Rehman said that neither he nor his party and Pakistani people were against the people of America. The anti-American sentiments in Pakistan and around the world were result of the policy of the US government, he added.

He said that JUI-F was a big hurdle in the way of those political parties that wanted to make Pakistan a secular state. “Owing to our struggle in the parliament and streets, the so-called liberal political parties cannot accomplish their agenda to turn the country into a secular state,” Mr Rehman claimed.

Besides other local leaders of JUI-F, former senator Syed Hadayatullah Shah was also present on the occasion.

FUMIGATION: The tehsil municipal administration launched fumigation campaign in four union councils of Mansehra city and its suburbs on Sunday after cases of dengue fever were reported in the area.

A man identified as Ashaq Hussain, a resident of Gharihabibullah, died of dengue fever in Ayub Medical Complex Abbottabad earlier this month. His niece, who was infected by the virus during his ailment, has been hospitalised in Rawalpindi.

Sanitary Inspector Mohammad Siddique told journalists that fumigation drive was launched as cases of dengue fever were reported in different parts of Mansehra.

Dr Niaz Mohammad, the medical superintendent of King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, when contacted, said that isolation ward was set up in the hospital for dengue patients.

“Though at this stage only few patients with symptoms of dengue fever have been brought to the hospital, yet their number can increase,” he feared.

He said that usually dengue fever broke out in the district after mid-September and hospital staff was put on alert and all sorts of precautionary measures were taken to provide healthcare to the patients. —Correspondent