Fazl says Aasia Bibi released under foreign pressure

CHAKDARRA: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday said the release of Aasia Bibi in the blasphemy case was the outcome of immense foreign pressure.

He was speaking at the Ulema conference in Chakdara in Lower Dir district. "I stand by my claim that Imran Khan is an agent of Jews and today all other political parties are backing my claim," the JUI-F chief said.

JUI-F leaders Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, Mufti Kifayatullah, Maulana Rahat Hussain, Maulana Gul Rahim, Maulana Rashid Mehmood, Mufti Fazal Ghafoor, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Zahid and Maulana Imran Hilali, Pakistan People's Party's former lawmaker Bakht Baidar, Jamaat-e-Islami's former provincial minister Muzaffar Sayyid, Awami National Party's Hussain Shah Yousafzai and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Nadeem Khan and others attended the convention.

The Maulana, who is also president of the five-party religio-political alliance, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), said inflation had broken all previous records and those who had announced to create 10 million new jobs had defamed the country by begging around the world.

The JUI-F leader said the PTI government was the creation of rigging as the mandate of the political parties was stolen. "It isn't acceptable to us," he declared.

He said that many Western countries and the US had lauded the Supreme Court verdict acquitting Aasia Bibi in the blasphemy case and releasing her. "Our struggle would continue until the government that was formed with the help of the Jewish lobby was shown the door," Maulana Fazlur Rehman said.

He said people were ready to take to streets for sake of the dignity of Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) as it was part of the Muslims' faith."We have no enmity with Europe and the US but we are opposing them because they want to strip Pakistan of its Islamic identity," the JUI-F head said. He claimed they were striving to defend the constitution and sovereignty of the country.He said Prime Minister Imran Khan deceived the nation particularly the youth by promising to create 10 million jobs and constructing five million houses.

The Maulana said the Pakistani rupee depreciated in value against the US dollar and this triggered inflation in the country. "Imran Khan had gone to China with a begging bowl but the Chinese government gave him nothing. We should not expect any good from the government that was formed on the basis of rigging," he stressed.

He said the activists of the religious parties would not rest until the court verdict in the Aasia Bibi case was reversed.