JI chief guarantees peace in Pak tribal region if military offensive discontinued

Islamabad, Jan.24 (ANI): Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad has said peace can be established in the troubled tribal region of Pakistan if the army stops its operations in the region.

He said that the local leaders or the jirgas can help in ensuring peace and prosperity in the areas which have seen a rise in extremist activities recently, if the military offensive is halted.

"I guarantee if the government withdraws the army from the Tribal Areas and leaves the restoration of peace to the local jirgas, normalcy will return to the region," The Daily Times quoted Ahmad,as saying.

Addressing a rally here, Ahmad said the military offensive would not solve the problem, and the problems of Swat and FATA can only be answered by talks and dialogues.

He also expressed his fears about a possible attack by the allied forces of NATO and the United States on Islamabad, once the tribal areas falls to them.

"The United States and NATO forces would march on to Islamabad after they conquer the tribal areas.Dialogue, not force, was the solution to the FATA problem," he said.

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief while trying to gain people's support turned to the Kashmir issue saying the international community should step-in to find a solution.

"Kashmir is the core issue between Pakistan and India, and the world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, should step in for its peaceful settlement for good," he said.

Ahmad also urged Obama to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. (ANI)