JI chief says N Waziristan operation widening wedge between military, tribesmen

Maintains government should inform people of past successes in similar moves.

MANSEHRA: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Syed Munawar Hasan on Thursday claimed the military operation in North Waziristan was being conducted at the behest of the US, and its only objective was to drive a wedge between the Pakistan Army and the general public.

The JI chief was speaking to party workers on the occasion of a condolence ceremony for the late JI district ameer Younas Khattak, who died of a heart attack during a public meeting last week.

Hasan said the North Waziristan operation has different repercussions, including the military’s defamation among the public. “The operation must be ended immediately because it has no benefits, and negotiations should be started.”

Speaking about operations carried out by the government in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), and Karachi in the past, he demanded the government apprise the nation of its objectives and achievements.



The JI chief urged the federal government to convene an all-parties conference (APC) to discuss the current state of terrorism and inflation in the country. He also urged the government to implement the findings of the last APC to steer the country out of crisis, all the while accusing it of failing to implement the recommendations that were put forward in the meeting.

Munawar Hasan also expressed his dismay at the government’s overtures towards India. He alleged the public had not given them a mandate for “befriending Indians at the cost of Kashmiris”.

“The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has forgotten the manifesto it presented in parliament. Instead of delivering, Nawaz and company are busy selling their sugar to India, and importing tomatoes and potatoes in return.”

Commenting on the central government’s slogan of ‘breaking the begging bowl’, he said the government has broken the smaller one and taken up a larger bowl by borrowing huge amounts from international lenders. He alleged the International Monetary Fund is akin to the East India Company, enslaving Pakistan both politically and economically.

Hassan also accused federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar of being involved in money laundering. The JI chief maintained PM Nawaz has handed the finance portfolio to an inept and inexperienced person who is rendering the country’s name in bad stead, given his alleged involvement in various money laundering cases.

He also criticised the government’s youth loan programme, saying while PM Nawaz had made tall claims of establishing meritocracy, he has handed the programme to his daughter who is not qualified for the job.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2013.