Maulana Fazlur Rehman, secretary general of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Maulana, has warned President Gen Pervez Musharraf that he will need the help of religious parties for peace in the Pak-Afghan border region, and so should avoid alienating religious leaders.| “We have been helping create agreements throughout the tribal areas and what do we get in return? Musharraf calls us dangerous,” Maulana Fazl said in an interview. |
Gen Musharraf has repeatedly urged Pakistanis not to vote for “hypocrites” and “extremists” in the next general elections. “With his poisonous propaganda against the religious parties, General Musharraf is trying to widen the gap between the religious circles and the liberals in the country,” Maulana Fazl said.
The MMA secretary general also said peace in Afghanistan would require talks with the Taliban.
| “There can only be peace if foreign forces leave Afghanistan and the Afghan government holds talks with the Taliban,” he said. “They are the sons of the soil.” |
He denied that his seminaries are used by the Taliban as staging posts in their cross-border activities, but admitted that he directs his followers to support Taliban fighters in Afghanistan by providing “humanitarian aid”. “We support anyone who is struggling for the implementation of an Islamic government,” he said, without specifying the type of assistance.