Jamaat-e-islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has urged the government to take a clear and unequivocal stance in support of Iran, saying that the entire Pakistani nation stands with Iran.
Addressing a public gathering and Iftar dinner under the banner ‘Jeenay Do Karachi Ko’ in the Liaquatabad area on Saturday, the JI chief said the attack on Iran by Israel and the United States amounted to open terrorism.
He said the attack was not just against Iran but as the attackers’ eyes were also on Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He called on the government to play an immediate role in preventing the escalation of war and to take China and Russia on board to hold the United States accountable.
The JI emir said that when the Afghan government came to power, Pakistan had welcomed it, and the hearts of the Pakistani people remained open for Afghans. However, he urged the Afghan authorities to remove black sheep from their ranks. He called on Islamabad to hold meaningful negotiations with Afghanistan and stressed that internal conflicts should not serve the interests of the United States, Israel or India.
He said Afghanistan should understand that India could never be a true friend of the Muslims, just as the United States and Israel could not be.
He also demanded the release of political prisoners and emphasised the need for the government and all political parties to sit together in the national interest.
He warned that if the Pakistani government sent troops to Palestine to eliminate Hamas, it would not be accepted under any circumstances.
Rehman remarked that US President Donald Trump had been praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the army chief to serve his own objectives. He said Trump was providing weapons to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and supporting Israel in attacks against Iran.
Speaking about local development, he said the student ground venue, once filled with dust and dirt, had been rehabilitated by the JI’s local leadership. He highlighted development work in Liaquatabad, including road construction, school improvements and free IT courses under Alkhidmat and Jamaat-e-Islami initiatives.
Criticising the provincial administration, he said Karachi was facing severe crises and accused the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government of failing to resolve issues or devolve powers.
Karachi JI Emir Monem Zafar also addressed the gathering, condemning the attack on Iran and alleging that more than 40 schoolgirls were killed in a school strike.
He said the Muslim world must unite in the face of what he termed coordinated aggression against the Muslims.
