QUETTA, Aug 1: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam activists staged a protest demonstration on Monday against deportation of their party’s chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman by Dubai authorities, alleging that hindrances were being created at the behest of the United States in the opposition leader’s visit to Muslim states.

The protesters led by Balochistan Minister Maulana Abdur Rahim Bazai and MNA Maulana Noor Mohammad assembled in front of the press club and chanted slogans against the US and Israel.

The speakers said the JUI chief was going on a 20-day visit to Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries but the Dubai authorities stopped him at the airport for deportation to Pakistan.

They said the action of Dubai officials was contrary to international law and Islamic principles.

They said the deportation of the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly had hurt the sentiments of millions of people as Maulana Fazl enjoyed the support and respect of an overwhelming majority of people of the country. They accused the Western media of damaging the image of the religious parties’ leadership to mount pressure on the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal to abandon its anti-US stance.

They announced that the alliance would not succumb to the tactics of anti-Muslim forces and said they would continue their struggle against American imperialism to force it to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan and Iraq. They demanded that the JUI leader should be allowed to visit Muslim countries to apprise the people there of the excesses of the US and Israel.