Hafiz Naeemur Rehman rejects the govt’s decision of Operation Azam-e-Istehkam

LAHORE, June (SABAH): Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has rejected the government’s decision of Operation Azam-e-Istehkam and made it clear that Pakistan cannot afford any more military operations. He said as a result of the ongoing operations for the last 23 years, the western border, which was previously completely secure, has become insecure.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that Pervez Musharraf’s decision to join Pakistan in America’s so-called anti-terrorist war and trying to befool the people by shouting the slogan of Pakistan first, the situation has become such that terrorism is not stopping.

He said this war not only made Afghanistan an arena for foreign powers, but also affected the peace of the region which opened the door to the intervention of agencies from all over the world including RAW, Blackwater, CIA in Pakistan. He said nearly one hundred thousand Pakistani civilians and security personnel were martyred and the national economy lost an estimated two hundred billion dollars.

In a video message issued from Mansoorah, Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that Pakistan cannot afford any kind of operation under the pressure of external forces and neither do the people who came into power through Form 47 have the authority to decide the fate of the nation. He said that the moral position of the rulers who came from Form 47 can also be estimated from the fact that they did not consider the operation approval necessary even from the Assembly, but the Apex Committee took the decision.

He added however, despite this, Jamaat-e-Islami believes that Parliament, national political leadership should be taken into confidence on the operation. This is the way of betterment of people, army, Pakistan and democracy, he added.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that some unseen external forces and a certain lobby in Pakistan want the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan to deteriorate, which is not in the interest of both the countries. There should not be any kind of terrorism in Pakistan from the land of Afghanistan, both countries have strong relations, Pakistanis have been extending hospitality to Afghans for 40 years, both countries should start meaningful talks, he remarked.