LAHORE: The Joint Pakistan-Afghan jirga was convened at the behest of the United States and if Gen Pervez Musharraf was pressurised by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to go to Kabul it was against all diplomatic norms, says Leader of opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, the JUI (F) chief said the US and other western powers were deliberately destabilising the region as well as the Musharraf government.

MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmad expressed identical views about the jirga in a press statement issued here on Sunday.

“Realistically speaking, there is no chance of peace in the region till the Americans maintained their presence in Afghanistan,” Maulana Fazl said, warning that a long US stay in the region might lead to another world war. He said the joint declaration of the jirga hardly reflected ground realities.

Qazi Hussain said the jirga could prove to be counter-productive. “The jirga should have involved real stakeholders for bringing about a lasting peace,” he added.

The JI Amir said the jirga was part of a US plan to eliminate all forces of resistance, including the Taliban, from Afghanistan. He said the solution to the problem in Afghanistan lay in the withdrawal of Nato and US forces and transfer of power to the Afghan people.