Pak. outfits warn U.S against 'hasty' action

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, SEPT. 14. As the U.S. pressure mounts on the military establishment here to co-operate in the possible retaliatory action against the Taliban regime, the Pakistan-based ``jehadi'' outfits and political parties have cautioned the U.S. against any hasty action.

The cricketer-turned-politician, Mr. Imran Khan, who heads the Tehreek-e-Insaf, has said the U.S. attacks would have a bad impact. ``It is not appropriate to ruin a country for one person. The people have nothing to eat and the attack would further desperate them. If the U.S. proves that Osama is involved in terrorist attacks, people will have no objection in extraditing him to that country. But if you destroy Afghanistan just to appease the American people, it would evoke strong reaction''.

He said any attacks on the Taliban without adequate proof would increase anti-American feelings in Pakistan.G> ``We should not allow the extremists to dominate the country. The U.S. should take action cautiously. Twenty-five to thirty people have carried out the entire activity. Afterwards, they have put one billion Muslims in a defensive position. The Bush administration should clearly say it is not the fault of one billion Muslims,'' he said.The chairman of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, Nawabzada Nasrullah, said the U.S. should not take any action against Afghanistan without completion of investigations. He urged the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf to take the political parties into confidence before permitting the U.S. to use Pakistani soil.

The ARD is a conglomerate of 16 mainstream political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League. led by Mr. Nawaz Sharif, and the Pakistan People's Party, headed by Mrs. Benazir Bhutto.Expressing his opposition to the U.S. using Pakistan to launch attacks on Afghanistan, the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, said the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon were the handiwork of Americans themselves. ``In our view, this is handiwork of the Americans as it is impossible for hijackers to take control of the planes and take it to the target. It is impossible for the hijackers to simultaneously hijack four planes and hit the target. We think that the viewpoint of the Western media is based on enmity with Muslims''.

A spokesman of the Lashkar-e-Taiba took exception to the statement of Gen. Musharraf to extend full support to the U.S. and said it amounted to interference in the internal affairs of a foreign power. The spokesman claimed Pakistan had long been a target of terrorism and it badly needed support of the international community for the ``liberation'' of Kashmir.

He said the Lashkar-e-Taiba would not like U.S. to search for terrorists in Pakistan and that the Americans should better conduct the search in India.G>About the possible U.S. attack on Afghanistan, the LeT spokesman said in such a situation, all the Mujahideen outfits would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their Afghan brethren.

The spokesman said that the Mujahideen organisations were opposed to terrorism as Islam never supported the killing of innocent people and civil population. However, one must differentiate between ``jehad and terrorism''. The ``jehadi'' organisations would continue missions and in case anyone tried to stand in their way, they would wage ``jehad against such a force. The spokesman said that ``jehad'' in Kashmir would continue.The spokesman of the Hizb-ul Mujahideen condemned the terrorist attack in the U.S. but said they could never support the U.S. at all. He said America had been fully involved in all terrorist activity against the Muslims all over the world and now had become victim of terrorism.

The spokesman of the Harkat-ul Mujahideen asserted that any support to the U.S. against terrorists would amount to supporting the `Satanic forces'. While condemning the terrorist attacks in the U.S., he said America had reaped what it had sown in the past. The Mujahideen only attacked the military installations in Kashmir and there was no cause for their targeting the U.S.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : U.N. paints grim picture of Afghanistan
Next     : U.S. preparing elaborate campaign to hound Osama