Anyone killed by US is a 'martyr': Fazlur Rehman

'JUI-F wants to move forward with the peace negotiations together with the other parties,' says Fazl.

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while talking to the media in Islamabad on Tuesday, stated that anyone killed by the United States, even if it is a dog, is a martyr, Express News reported.

He said this when he was questioned regarding the death of the late Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud who was killed by a US drone strike on November 1.

He also said that “a lot of people still want peace negotiations and therefore the negotiations should not stop.”

“JUI-F wants to move forward with the peace negotiations together with the other parties,” he added.

“We will do anything for the country,” he further stated.

Soon after speaking to the media, the JUI-F chief reiterated at the National Assembly that "anyone killed by the US is a martyr, even if it is a dog."

Commenting on the oppression of the weaker states in the world, Fazl said that “politics and institutions are used to control the weaker states.”

He further stated that "the terrorism in the country has weakened the economy and destroyed the peace of the country."

“A lot of parliamentarians have become martyrs because of terrorism,” he stated, adding that "his own house has been attacked three times."

Talking about the peace in the different provinces of the country he remarked, “Punjab has relatively more peace than the rest of the provinces.”

He said that “for any state economy and army are two main components that are necessary for its survival.”

Furthermore, “the terrorist activities in the country are destroying its economy and this why peace is essential.”

On November 4, Fazl had said that in the wake of drone attack that killed Mehsud, a national strategy should be crafted.

The JUI-F chief had stated that the last All Parties Conference had adopted a national stance towards reconciliation and decided to hold talks with the Taliban.

“The drone attack has now changed the situation, which is why we need a new APC to review the situation. We were trying to get Pakistan out of crisis but the drone attack has increased instability,” Fazl had remarked.

He had said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s ‘solo flight’ will damage national unity on drones and dialogue with Taliban as such party politics should not be based on point scoring.

He had said that “his party had earlier tried to move a resolution in K-P assembly on the drone issue linking it with blocking the Nato supplies but the PTI government had opposed it.”

He further said “his party’s support for the blockade would be conditional on PTI government issuing an executive order to stop the Nato supplies.”

'Martyr' or not?

Fazlur Rehman's statements are in support of Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Munawar Hassan's comment that Hakimullah Mehsud is a martyr. The MQM chief Altaf Hussain issued a statement on Monday, saying that it is condemnable to call Mehsud a martyr and other politicians including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were also critical of the JI leader's statement.