PESHAWAR, May 2: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hassan on Thursday said Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani should not own the so-called US war against terrorism as the country had suffered great losses due to it.

“This is not our war. It has been imposed on us by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on the US directives. Thousands of innocent Pakistanis have been killed in this war and economy of the country weakened,” he told a public meeting related to the May 11 elections here.

The JI leader said the former rulers did nothing for the well-being of the people during the last five years and gave the gifts of terrorism, poverty, inflation, joblessness and loadshedding to the nation.

He said the flawed policies of Pakistan People’s Party led government had forced the country to socioeconomic and security crises.

Mr Hassan said the election manifestoes of People's Party, Awami National Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement were not the ones they had published and were distributing among the masses, but their real manifestoes were the slavery of the US, drone attacks and target killing.

He said the manifesto of JI was the one, which it demonstrated during the last five years.

“We were not in power during the last five years but we remain present with the people of this province during difficult times,” he said.

The JI chief said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were made homeless in their own homeland and that his was the only party that strived for their service.

“We were among the people at the time of floods, earthquake and other difficult times. This we didn't do for any worldly gains, but only because we follow the teachings of Quran and Sunnah,” he said.

Mr Hassan also spoke against military operation in the province and adjoining tribal areas, saying the military action was widening the gap between the people and the army.

He ridiculed the statement of the army chief to uproot terrorism though military operation, saying the military action had caused severe destruction in the province.

JI candidate from NA-4 Sabir Hussain Awan, PK-10 Javed Momand and PK-11 Khalid Waqas Chamkani also spoke on the occasion.

Mr Awan expressed the hope that JI would secure victory in majority of the constituencies in the province and would form the next government.—Bureau Report