Pakistan

JI chief slams Obama for his silence over Chapel Hill murders

Why is the American press quiet; is it because the victims wore scarves? Haq questions

Web Desk February 13, 2015

An Express News screen grab of Sirajul Haq addressing the media

PESHAWAR: As the world mourns the murder of three Muslims in North Carolina, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Sirajul Haq slammed US President Barack Obama for not condemning the Chapel Hill shooting up till now.

"Why is the American press so quiet against this act of terror? Why are there no protests? Is it because the victims wore scarves?" Haq questioned while addressing a press after submitting his Senate nomination papers.

"The US need to fulfill its duty towards the three youth who became a target of terror," he added.

Commenting on the Baldia factory fire, the Jamaat-e-Islami leader said that the nation is looking towards Islamabad for answers and for those accountable for the deaths to be brought to justice.

"The courts and the government have not handed justice to the 259 lives that were lost in the factory fire," he said.

Further commenting on the incident, Haq said that the whole nation stands with the labourers who lost their lives and Jamat-e-Islami is with the labourers and the masses.

"I am shocked that after the joint investigation team (JIT) report was released, the Sindh government has taken no action whatsoever. Instead they are considering to invite them [Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)] to join the provincial government," he informed.

"Instead of addressing the issue at hand, they [government] have gone out into the markets, asking the cost of tomatoes and vegetables. But those who destroyed our steel mills, who have robbed our banks, ruined WAPDA and robbed the nation, they are not questioned," he continued.

Concluding his address, Haq demanded a probe in response to the JIT report and said that those involved should be brought to justice.

COMMENTS (25)

Nasir | 9 years ago | Reply Is this mullah serious? , he needs to wake up and see how many times he or his friends have protested against sectarian violence in Pakistan America is a cilvilised country where murderers are bought to justice. It is not a country where murderers are showered with rose petals or celebrated as heroes, that only happens in savage countries

numbersnumbers | 9 years ago | Reply Second try! And just how long might we all wait for the JI chief to condemn his beloved TTP thugs for this latest terrorist attack on Shias worshiping in Pakistan??

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Rex Minor | 9 years ago | Reply It is a shame that neither the Prime Minister nor the President of Pakistan, the so called muslim country, has registerd his protest with the White House, for the xenophobic inspired killings of the beautiful American souls ? This shame is also being shared by Pakistani commenters who instead are criticising the leader of the Jamaat e Islam political party. Rex Minor

Kim Wilde | 9 years ago | Reply Farhan. Taliban means Student Terrorist !

Emjay | 9 years ago | Reply What about his own silence over Shia killings in Pak?

bigsaf | 9 years ago | Reply @raider: ITs unfortunate that you make a false comparison. They are both horrific, but there's been a greater rate of sectarian cleansing of the minority besides religious political terrorism. Stop disingenuous bias downplaying and ignoring it.

Wizarat | 9 years ago | Reply He single handedly can do more than Nawaz Sharif in stopping these Killings of Muslims in Pakistan during friday Prayers. He cannot blame US for stopping him to condemn atrocities/Khoon-Nahaq in Pakistan by the so called Muslims.

Farhan | 9 years ago | Reply @vaqas @fahad and all the rest Pls don't use the word taleban n the acts of terror performed by individuals in 1 word We all should know that taleban or talebealim means a student A student cannot be barbaric and perform those acts If a person wearing a nuns robe performs an act of terror will u start using nun to describe terrorist Taliban means student don't confuse it with terror

Jawad U Rahman | 9 years ago | Reply Odd statement from the head of a party whose ex-chief recently suggested there is not enough culture of 'qitaal' in the country. And this comes on a day when 20 Shia Muslims were massacred in Peshawar. Perhaps he should worry about Pakistanis (Muslims or Non-Muslims) in Pakistan and KPK rather than the Muslims in America or Caricatures in magazines in Europe.

Realist | 9 years ago | Reply In a civilized country, a judge/jury preside over a criminal case, not the president of a country. Foolish comment.

Sajjad Saleem | 9 years ago | Reply Good statement by Siraj-ul-Haq. I will also endorse him for condemning every form of terrorism equally either it is religion, sect, ethnic or language.

TariqUsman | 9 years ago | Reply Still waiting for him to slam TTP and other religious extremists who kill Pakistanis every day!

pardesi | 9 years ago | Reply This has got to be a joke that the JI leader is slamming Obama for keeping quiet on the tragic killing of 3 innocent people. The only reason JI leader will be asking this is because the three were Muslims and not because they were human beings. Why I say this because JI has never apologized for the killing of Shia's, Hindus, Christians or Ahmadies, Why should than they expect a reaction from Obama.

Imran Ahsan Mirza | 9 years ago | Reply What stature JI leader has to even address Obama let alone slam his silence? Did JI protest against Ahmadis, Shias and Christians killed in hundreds in the past few years in Pakistan right under their nose. Please clean your house first before blaming US. The Israel-Palestine conflict since 1920 has caused 91,000 Palestinian and about 40,000 Jewish deaths while in the last 10 years alone the war against Taliban has caused 50,000 deaths, which is a far greater proportion of newsworthiness JI very conveniently ignores. Shame on JI and its leadership for their hypocrisy.

Afaaq | 9 years ago | Reply @Pakistani Your measure of bravery signifies why we are at this position today. By blaming the west we become heroes!

Pakistani | 9 years ago | Reply He has a very valid point there! Thumbs up for being so brave and vocal about it unlike the other American stooges!

raider | 9 years ago | Reply Yes i endorse his statement; ethnic bases of terrorism are more horrific and devastating than sectarian

vaqas | 9 years ago | Reply @Fahad: Errr..... I think he did mention that. Maybe you slept through the rest of the article Mr. Fahad. Anyway, let's first see Mr. Siraj condemn his emir, who extolled the murderous religious hooligans Taliban and called them heroes and martyrs for fighting against Pakistan and have slaughtered more than 50000 people. Then we will work our way up. I'm afraid by the end of it ji will have to be rightfully exterminated before we start pointing fingers at other countries. But all this chest thumping aside, what's most important is that the education be taken away from ji before they do some serious damage and destroy the minds of our young ones. That should be priority number one as far as ji is concerned.

Fahad | 9 years ago | Reply Ok. Good job Mr. Haq. But what about those 259 killed in Baldia town massacre. No word for that? you scared or doing your usual politics?

Najeebullah | 9 years ago | Reply We condemn Siraj for his silence against the killers of 50,000 Pakistanis.

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply He is one the last persons to be pointing a finger.........

Mohammed | 9 years ago | Reply Didn't the same guy describe some murderers as shaheed?

Fawad | 9 years ago | Reply In Pakistan so many target killings based on religion or sect, why he hasn't condemned them?

Afaaq | 9 years ago | Reply You can start by telling why are 8 year old kids being raped and killed in your own country. Why most criminals are coming from behind the confines of Masjids and Madrassahs? The time to ban religious parties is here and we must do something about it. Why doesnt the JI work to reform its own country first. Does anyone outside even care about what you say?

Adnan Siddiqi | 9 years ago | Reply And what exactly did you do after the APS attack? Did you protest against the KPK Government for such a huge negligence and security lapse? Why would you, you are after all part of the coalition government and protesting against KPK government would have amounted to protesting against yourself. JI and PTI are hypocrisy personified.

Replying to X