LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has criticised the main political parties of the country for what he called their failure to condemn terrorism of the United States and Israel unequivocally.

He said Pakistan’s ruling elite is mentally subservient to the United States and seeks “certificates from Washington” to justify oppression against their own people.

Addressing a Friday congregation at the central mosque in Mansoorah, he paid tribute to the leadership and people of Iran, as well as resistance movements in Palestine and Kashmir, for their steadfastness in the face of brutality.

Rehman said that major political parties in Pakistan failed to clearly condemn terrorism of the United States and Israel even once.

According to him, the ruling class has tied its own future and that of its children to the US and therefore wants to keep President Donald Trump satisfied in order to retain power at home.

He warned that if Iran was being targeted today, Pakistan could be next, adding that Pakistan’s nuclear programme remained a source of concern for its adversaries. He also criticised the Muslim rulers for “competing to win Trump’s favour.”

Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the JI chief said it was unfortunate that the Pakistani premier had saluted Trump at a time when the US president was praising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the use of lethal weapons in Gaza.

He said that Israel, with US backing, had been carrying out violence against Palestinians for decades, while global powers remained silent. The JI Emir described the Zionist movement as a project aimed at establishing Jewish supremacy and said that global capitalist forces are supporting a system of oppression.

He also questioned the West’s claims of democracy, saying controversies such as the Epstein Files had further exposed moral corruption in Western societies.

Highlighting Iran’s role, Rehman said the Iranian leadership had effectively mobilised and trained its people to remain steadfast under pressure and that Tehran had provided significant support to Palestinians.

He criticised sectarian divisions, terming those who promote such divisions agents of oppressive forces, and said young people are increasingly moving away from such hatred.

He urged parents to raise the younger generation according to the teachings of the holy Quran and Sunnah so they could resist what he called “the cycle of evil influences.”

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2026