JI not against US, but its policies: Siraj

LAHORE
The US Consul General in Lahore Zachary Harkenrider called on Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Senator Sirajul Haq at Mansoorah on Tuesday and discussed matters of mutual interests.
During the meeting Sirajul Haq told the US diplomat that JI was not against the US or its people, but it was against US polices against Muslims. Sirajul Haq said a majority of the American people also supported the JI viewpoint regarding the policies of their government.
He said Pakistan had paid a heavy price in the war on terror and the ammunition used on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border during the war was much more than what had been used at Hiroshima. He said the harmful effects of it would continue for centuries as numerous fatal diseases had already surfaced in the area.
The JI chief noted that all issues could be sorted out through dialogue. He said all sides should stick to the principles of justice, equality and true democracy. Sirajul Haq said there was organised state terrorism behind the recent bomb blasts in Peshawar and also in fanning sectarian and factional differences in the country. Director, JI Foreign affairs wing, Abdul Ghaffar Aziz, was also present.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the Voice of Christian International headed by its Director, Samuel Piyara, also called on the JI chief and discussed matters of mutual interests. Sirajul Haq told the delegation that the JI considered non-Muslims living in the country as the Pakistani community and not a minority. He said all citizens had equal rights and all minorities had full religious freedom.
He said the minority wing of the JI included prominent members from all minorities including Christians, Hindus and Sikhs.