Pakistani Opposition Leader Terms US Constant Threat To Region

Islamabad, Nov 23, IRNA -- Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said the United States has become a constant threat for the entire region, after making an announcement about prolonging its presence in Afghanistan till 2024, local media reported on Friday. In his views during a dialogue organized at South Asian Free Media Association, Fazl said peace could not be established until the Americans left the region. He was of the view that heads of all the neighboring countries should think about regional peace and stability. He said it was quite strange that 25,000 American soldiers came to Afghanistan to fight 35 al Qaeda members, and established nine military bases across that country. He asserted that such a huge number of troops had not come to eradicate terrorism, but to pose a threat to regional peace. Fazl also announced to convene a tribal jirga in Peshawar on November 28 to discuss restoration of peace in FATA. About a dialog with the Taliban, Fazl said there was still a deadlock regarding peace talks. But, he added, he was highly optimistic about the future of the talks process that was still in a state of delay. The JUI-F chief also came down hard on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for its planned blockade of NATO supply routes, saying how the provincial government would block NATO supply lines when the government had recently received $500 from the US. He called on the government to make public its position on drone attacks./end