KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Munawar Hasan has described decisions of the All Party Conference as a step in the right direction and advised the government to assert itself while holding talks with Taliban.
He also urged all security institutions to coordinate and cooperate with the government over the matter.
Addressing a press conference at the Idara-i-Noor-i-Haq here on Tuesday, the Jamaat chief said there was dire need to pull the country out of the war on terror, claiming that the conflict was in the interest of the US and not that of Pakistan.
He said that instead of paying lip service the government should adopt an effective strategy to tackle the drone attack issue.
Mr Hasan said the government should refrain from using force against the Taliban because doing so would be devastating for the country. Giving an example, he said that Britain which had used force against the Irish Republican Army had eventually switched to talks to resolve the issue.
Referring to external threats, he said there was need for meaningful talks with India and keeping a vigilant eye because India continued to commit atrocities in Kashmir and had been violating the Line of Control ceasefire.
He demanded a review of Pakistan’s relations with the US which would withdraw its forces from Afghanistan in 2014 but had “kept India as a watchdog in the region”.
“The US terrorism and Indian interference, both are present in the country and we need to be vigilant over such terrorism,” the Jamaat chief said.
Referring to the outcome of the army operation in Swat, Buner, South Waziristan and adjacent areas, he asked the army chief to brief the nation on its outcome.