Pak rightist leaders say US' interference will break the nation

Peshawar, Oct 17 : At a "Down with America" seminar, several Islamist leaders in Pakistan condemned America's interference in Pakistan's internal and external affairs, and said that the US had been trying to "destabilise and disintegrate" Pakistan.

They were also of the view that the Pakistani leadership was "incapable of running the country's affairs due to which Pakistan was unsafe". However, they expressed the hope that the confidence of the people and "patriotic leaders" would together frustrate the US' designs.

Held at Peshawar Press Club last evening, the seminar was part of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talba (IJT)'s countrywide "America Murda Baad" campaign which will continue till November 15. "Those trying to disintegrate Pakistan will not succeed and meet a horrible end. Pakistan will stay alive forever," the Daily Times quoted Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Provincial Ameer Sirajul Haq as saying.

The JI leader said that Pakistan's ruling leadership was incapable of running the country and their policies were a continuation of a dictator's pro-US policies due to which Pakistan was unsafe.

Siraj said President Asif Ali Zardari and ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan visited the US and made commitments which were not in Pakistan's interests. He added that people were faced with a host of problems including price hike, load-shedding, flour shortage and poor quality of consumer goods due to the rulers being corrupt.

Siraj said the ANP-PPPP government in the province was quiet and had no interest in solving people's problems.

"The ruling leadership is weak. There are no system, no government and no institutions," he said. The JI leader said instead of spending funds on development schemes, the government was spending money on the protection of a few persons.

The JI provincial ameer said around one million people had left their homes in troubled areas of Swat, Bajaur, Waziristan and Orakzai agencies.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) provincial leader Jehanzeb Khan said that American interference in Pakistan was growing to destabilise it. "It should be stopped," he said, and demanded reinstatement of judges to their November 2, 2007 position.

ANI