Fazal condemns adventurism in cover of Bhatti's murder

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had an informal meeting with Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hassan at Mansoora here on Saturday. Talking to media after the meeting he condemned certain secular lobbies busy in adventurism for maligning Pakistani Muslims and Islam in the cover of the murder of federal minister Shahbaz Bhatti.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman dismissed the impression being spread by pro-west lobbies and western media that murders of Shahbaz Bhatti and Salman Taseer were a reflection of shrinking tolerance among Pakistani Muslims. He said Bhatti's murder was condemned by all Muslim leaders demanding punishment to killers. But certain secular lobbies always used such incidents to unleash a smear campaign against Islam and Pakistani Muslims in the world. "We will not allow such adventurism under the cover of Shahbaz Bhatti's murder," he said. "We are asked to show tolerance but why the west always display intolerance towards Islam and its ideals and sacred figures, which is reflected in repeated printing of blasphemous sketches of the Holy Prophet (SAW), desecration of Quran by European leaders. But ironically, it is Muslims who are labelled as intolerant and extremists," he said, adding that US troops in Guantanamo bay and other jails in Iraq and Afghanistan committed worst human rights abuses against Muslim civilians.
To another question, he said, terrorism and extremism was imported in Pakistan from outside by those who shouldered the so-called US war on terror. He said the conduct of US and its western allies in Nato during the last decade showed they used unlimited force and spilled blood of millions of innocent Muslim civilians on vague excuses and false allegations, deprived independent nations of their liberties and crushed human rights of their citizens, but still they have the audacity to accuse Muslims of extremism and terrorism.
He said the terrorism brought into Pakistan was not only a threat to this country but for the entire region. He said religious leaders had warned General Musharraf against his misadventures but now entire nation was suffering for the blunders he committed in his dictatorial policies, adding that the unanimous resolution of the parliament calling for an end to blind pursuance of US agenda was not implemented.
Fazlur Rehman rejected the idea that his meeting with JI leaders and another meeting on previous day in Islamabad at his house was aimed at forming another IJI like alliance against the PPP. He said today's meeting with JI leaders was just an informal unscheduled visit while the meeting in Islamabad was called to evolve a joint strategy on common issues among the opposition parties so that they could put up a display of an effective opposition in the parliament.
He told a questioner that so far there was no talk of any new alliance, adding that he strongly believe that MMA was still in place and only its components were needed to be reactivated. To a query about US spy Raymond Davis, he said, so far the simple questions of what was the status of his passport and visa were kept under cover, adding that he did not want to elaborate the issue before the courts.