PESHAWAR:
JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has told Kabul that India can never be sympathetic to the Afghans and Afghan territory should never be allowed to be used against Pakistan.
“I want to tell the Afghan government that India can never be your friend. In difficult times, India will not support you; it will celebrate,” Naeem said while addressing a rally in Peshawar on Sunday.
On Saturday night, Afghan forces opened fire at multiple locations along the border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Zhob district in Balochistan province.
The Pakistan Army responded quickly and forcefully and its retaliatory action resulted in the death of 200 Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) operatives. Twenty-three Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom during the clashes. The attack from the Afghan side came at a time when Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was on an official visit to India.
Referring to the clash, Naeem urged the need to immediately restore peace and mutual trust between the two countries. He also appealed to Afghanistan not to allow its soil to be used against Pakistan and urged a joint action plan against terrorism.
The JI chief urged the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to start peace talks immediately. He said the hearts of the people of the two countries beat together, but errors in strategy have worsened the situation. “Both countries should resolve their problems through negotiations. We should not fight among ourselves,” he said.
Hafiz Naeem also harshly criticized the internal politics and government system. He said that for the last 35 years power has fallen to the establishment, which should have recognized its failures and returned authority to politicians.
He argued that the current system must change and that the JI is the only real force capable of bringing about a revolution. “We will begin the process of changing the Minar-e-Pakistan (Lahore) system,” he told the participants.
He called bureaucracy a legacy of the British era and said its misuse has produced economic injustices. “The bank balances and properties of bureaucrats and government officials have been built at the expense of our pockets,” he said.
He also questioned the authority of the judiciary, saying that the courts have become impotent after the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Naeem also criticized the international community’s indifference to Palestinian suffering. He said that because Muslim and Arab states are weak, Israel is killing Muslims.
“We are an ideological nation; we will never recognize Israel.” He called on the nation to remain united and take a clear stance against the recognition of Israel.
