Martyrdom question: Sunni Tehreek rallies in support of army

ST leader says JI chief should be tried for treason.

LAHORE:

Supporters of the Sunni Tehreek (ST) expressed solidarity with the Pakistan Army and condemned Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Munawar Hassan’s statement about martyrdom in protests across the country on Tuesday.

The ST held rallies in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad, Quetta and Lahore to observe ‘Solidarity Day with the Pakistan Army’.

Addressing a group of chanting protesters at the Lahore Press Club, ST divisional president Mujahid Abdul Rasool said that the JI chief should be tried for treason over his statement suggesting that those who died fighting the Taliban alongside the Americans did not deserve to be called martyrs. He said that Hassan’s remarks had plunged the country into a new and unhelpful debate. They had also exposed the JI’s true face to the nation. The party had opposed the creation of Pakistan and was now conspiring to weaken the state, he said.

Rasool described the JI as the “political wing of the Taliban” and urged security agencies to keep close watch on the party’s activities. He said that the “so-called mujahideen and Taliban” who were “living off US dollars” were no well-wishers of Islam or Pakistan.

ST Lahore president Muhammad Tahir Dogar said that the soldiers who died in the fight against terrorism were martyrs and national heroes and the country valued their sacrifices. He said the ST appreciated all the martyrs of the army, paramilitary forces, police and other security agencies.

Meanwhile, Mufti Liaqat Ali Rizvi led a rally at the Rawalpindi Press Club. Addressing the protesters, he said that the nation was proud of the Pakistan Army for its fight against terrorism.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2013.