LAHORE: Chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), Maulana Samiul Haq, has said it is highly ridiculous to term Jang and Geo as traitor or are working on foreign agenda.
He said Jang and Geo always respected the all institutions of national security and gave the status of national heroes and martyrs to soldiers who were killed by terrorists.
In a special interview to Jang, Samiul Haq said that a strategy should be formed so that army, media and government could unite on one platform and perform their role for country’s development.
He said Jang and Geo always promoted Army, ISI and other institutions in better way, as whenever there is any national day, glowing tributes are paid to army’s sacrifices.
The JUI-S chief said he believed a conspiracy was hatched against Geo and what happened was actually occurred unintentionally.
It will be better in country’s interest if the institutions settle matters instead of letting down each other, he added.
To a question, Maulana Samiul Haq said this country greatly needs Army.
To another query, he said Hamid Mir had good relations with the leadership of Taliban and I believe he did not have any threat from Taliban because whenever we held talks with Taliban, Hamid Mir was also in contact with some Taliban leaders at that time and he (Hamid Mir) presented their stance in some way or the other.
Meanwhile, replying to reporters’ queries after the International Khatm-e-Nabuwat seminar and addressing the event, Head of Taliban negotiation committee and chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), Maulana Samiul Haq warned the government and the armed forces against launching any further operation in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on the fresh US demand, adding that it would lead only to spilling of more blood of innocent civilians.
Samiul Haq said the US was demanding more operations in Waziristan because it wanted the civil war to continue it had ignited in Pakistan. The Maulana said if the US-fuelled civil war in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) spread to other parts of the country neither protest movements of political parties would be of any use nor their demands.
He said the main function of the rulers in any society was to establish and maintain peace and security. Similarly, he said, the armed forces were tasked to neutralise threats to peace and security. He said those opposing peace negotiations with Taliban and undermining the dialogue process were actually working to pursue the US agenda.
To a question, he said in his opinion the government and the armed forces were on the same page regarding holding dialogue with Taliban, and expressed hopes that no fresh military operation would be launched in Fata.
He said both peace committees should sit together and solve the problem at the earliest to give the much-needed good news to the nation. He said the ceasefire should be extended in the first phase and then a complete solution to the problems in Fata be sought to provide relief to the nation.
He said expressing differences with rulers’ policies was the right of the political parties but the latter must realise that the country was on fire at this time and they should first establish peace and then go for protest movements. He said Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri should have launched their movements for restoring peace instead of protesting political and electoral corruption.
Later, Samiul Haq administered an oath to the newly elected office-bearers of Lahore chapter of JUI-S.
Others who spoke on the occasion including Muttahida Ulema Board Chairman Hafiz Fazle Raheem, Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Pir Saifullah Khalid, Maulana Asim Makhdoom, Allama Yunus Hasan etc.
Tahir Ashrafi lashed out at the Western propaganda against seminaries and said Pakistan was countering enemy conspiracies of civil war only because of millions of seminary students. Similarly, he said, those who were dubbing Taliban as traitors for not acknowledging the constitution of Pakistan, should also dub Qadiyanis as traitors for open violation of the constitution and demanding its abolition. He said not a single Qadiyani was at present under arrest under the blasphemy law.