JUI-F sees conspiracy behind Hindu temple attack

PESHAWAR: Condemning the torching of a Hindu saint’s shrine in Karak, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) here on Saturday alleged that the local administration was conspiring to implicate its leaders in the incident.

Enraged protesters had attacked and set on fire the Samadhi (shrine) of Shri Paramhans Jee Maharaj recently in Teri area of Karak district as they objected to the expansion work being carried out there.

The provincial consultative body of the party in a meeting held here with provincial president Senator Maulana Ataur Rahman in the chair expressed concern over the arrest of JUI-F leader Rahmat Salam Khattak and others. The meeting demanded early release of the detained leaders.

The party leaders said that JUI-F had always protected the rights of the minority communities in the country.

They maintained that the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), which included the JUI-F as a major component, during its rule not only renovated the places of worship of the minority communities but also allocated equal funds for their elected representatives.

The meeting said that late leaders of the party like Maulana Hassan Jan and Maulana Sher Ali Shah had played a vital role in resolving the longstanding Karak dispute.

The meeting approved disciplinary action taken by the JUI-F central committee against four senior members of the party — Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, Maulana Shujaul Mulk, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani and Hafiz Hussain Ahmad.

Two of the expelled members, Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan and Maulana Shujaul Mulk hail from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and remained provincial president and general secretary, respectively, of the party in the recent past. Gul Nasseb Khan remained a member of the Senate while Shujaul Mulk was elected MNA from Mardan.

The meeting discussed preparations for the public gatherings of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in Bannu on January 6 and in Malakand on January 11. It decided that the party would actively participate in the public rallies.

The meeting took exception to the government action against the party leaders. They said the registration of cases and arrests of party leaders, particularly against Mufti Kifayatullah would not weaken their stance against the ‘illegitimate’ rulers.

Former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani, former party president of Balochisan Maulana Faiz Mohammad, Maulana Fazle Ali Haqqani and others spoke at the meeting.

Criticizing the government for its ‘flawed’ policies, they maintained that rulers had brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy.

They said that the skyrocketing prices of items of daily use and growing joblessness had made the lives of the common people miserable.

The speakers said the ‘incapable’ rulers have miserably failed on both internal and external fronts, adding that relations with China and Saudi Arabia had been strained.

They said that instead of improving its performance, the government is busy conspiring against the opposition parties and victimizing its leaders.