LAHORE, March 3: The Jamaat-i-Islami announced on Sunday the launching of its mass contact campaign from March 23 ahead of the October elections.
Speaking at a seminar here on ‘Islam and Pakistan in the World Perspective,’ JI Naib amir Liaquat Baloch said the party was trying to unite the people on the platforms of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the All Parties Conference against the increasing influence of the new imperial power (America).
“The forthcoming elections will be a landmark in the struggle against the US interest in the region,” he added.
Condemning the US Congress for demanding certain amendments to the Constitution of Pakistan, he lamented that because of Gen Pervez Musharraf’s policies the US (Congress) was daring to interfere in purely internal affairs of the country.
Referring to the continuing anti-Muslim riots in India, Baloch chided the world leaders for not taking note of the “real extremism” and “real terrorism” in India where people were being roasted alive and worship places were being razed to ground by Hindu fanatics.
Criticizing the ban on Jihadi organizations, he said the Rawalpindi incident had made it clear that these acts of terror had not been conducted by “extremist” groups in the country.
Lt-Gen Hameed Gul (retired) said the riots in India had proved that religion could not be separated from politics at least in the sub-continent.
He opposed the slogan “First of all Pakistan” given by the government after Sept 11 incident, saying Islam reached the region first and Pakistan came into being on its basis centuries later. “Islam is the basis of the country and ignoring it will endanger the very existence of the state.”
He said the slogan had been planted to create a chaos among the minds of the public and to sow seeds of conflict between the army and the nation.
The former ISI director-general said the government was in a dilemma over Kashmir. “It does not want to actively pursue the issue and is rather awaiting for some divine help.”
He said mediation over the issue or seeking some third option amounted to denying the Kashmiris their right to self-determination recognized in every democratic set-up.
Mr Gul claimed that Bush had put three conditions — same targets, values and ideals — before Musharraf during the latter’s visit to Washington for future friendship, telling him that he had been “paid” for the services so far rendered in US interests. He claimed that the US had paid $200 million to the Indian government for the deployment of its forces on Pakistani borders. BJP’s defeat in the state elections showed that the Indian public had also turned against the new global imperialist power (US).
He said he had moved the high court to seek arrest and trial of the FBI agents who had “raided” and “abducted” Pakistani nationals, including Aimal Kansi, in the past.
He said the authorities were giving the impression that Pakistani nationals were handed over to the US under the 1931 agreement signed between Washington and London. He demanded that the US should hand over the FBI agents to Pakistan if the agreement was still in force.