"Taliban, Al Qaeda no aliens to Pak soil"

Peshawar, Nov 24 : Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad has said that Taliban and Al Qaeda elements in Pakistan's territory were no aliens as they were the same people who were dubbed as "holy warriors" to defeat Soviet troops in Afghanistan till a decade back.

"They fought the war against Russia in Afghanistan for the cause of Islam and now were doing the same to thwart American designs in the region," the Daily Times quoted the JI chief as saying while addressing a tribal jirga sponsored by his party.

Qazi said that Al Qaeda and Taliban were not against the state of Pakistan, "however, they were against the 'pro-United States governments' of Pakistan and Afghanistan".

He claimed that there were no foreign fighters in Pakistan. "Anyone who is fighting in the path of Allah is my brother," he said, and added that the government was killing its own people to appease the Americans.

Qazi said they would block the NATO supply routes through Pakistan if the foreign troops did not stop drone attacks in the Tribal Areas.

ANI