Siraj Ul Haq Blasts At Power-Partners Over Operation

"The government is now giving the impression to the world that the North Western Frontier Province [NWFP] is quite at the mercy of Talibans and clerics; however, the reality is quite contrary [to this version]. The conditions were quite peaceful there. No province or Peshawar was in danger. It was the advisor to interior who suddenly started raising hue and cry, after which the secretary to interior also backed him up with statements that the peril has gone beyond the limit.
Then information was released by the government that the Prime Minister has given the Chief of Army Staff, a free hand to wage a war against the tribal people. After this the authorities became themselves the witness of this operation and declared that there were foreign elements among the tribes and that Peshawar was about to fall in the hands of Talibans at any moment. Then it was said, that we would spare no stone unturned to save Peshawar from Talibans. At last this information also saw the light of the day that the operation would be conducted in Khyber Agency. From this plethora of statements, the nation has understood that all this drama was staged to create the suitable conditions for the operation. There are many reasons for this; however, one of the important reasons is that the road from Peshawar to Turkham and form Turkham to Kabul is the only supply line of the North Alliance Treaty Organization [NATO] forces. The United States is worried over that the locally formed organizations in the NWFP may disrupt the supply line of the allied forces. That is why; they have done their best to guarantee the safety of this road. We are of the view that the people of the NWFP are directly under the threat of the NATO forces. There is the threat of their intrusion. There were attacks on Bajuar. There were attacks on Mohmand Agency. Attacks have been repeatedly launched over Wazirstan, Miranshah and other tribal areas. The local people are daily watching the NATO spy-jets flying over their areas. That is why the real danger to us is from these allied forces which are now sitting at our 1400 kilometers long borderline. They are constructing new bunkers and helipads. They are constructing new army headquarters. Such preparations are in progress in these areas; it seems that a colossal operation is going to be launched against us. All this preparation is for this [operation]."

These views have been expressed by Siraj Ul Haq, the former senior minister in the government of the NWFP and naib amir [second in command] of Jamaat-e Islami [JI] during his interview with the daily Ummat yesterday. He has discussed in detail the conditions in the NWFP, increase in the actions of the NATO or allied forces in our tribal areas, operation by the Pakistani government in the tribal areas, future of the Muttahidda Majlas-e Amal [MMA] and other issues, during this meeting.
Strongly rejecting the impression of the threat of Taliban to Peshawar and the NWFP, Siraj Ul Haq further said, "We emphasize this point that there is not danger to the public from Talibans; however, we are in danger from the United States and its allied forces. Talibans are the local people. There is always danger from the outside. The danger is from the foreign invaders. We think that in this perspective the incumbent government has proved more pliant from the former one. We though that there would be a pandemonium in the National Assembly over the attack on Mohmand Agency, there will be protest and the opposition would give a tough time to the government. However, our expectations dashed to the ground. The tragedy is that all the people are in the government. Most of the parties are partner in the government. Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e Azam [PML-Q] is in the government in the form of Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz [PML-N] is in the government. Jamiat Ulema-e Islam Fazul Rahman Group [JUI-F] is also in the government. Muttahidda Qaumi Movement [MQM] and the Awami National Party [ANP] are sharing the power. Pakistan Peoples Party [PPP] got the lion’s share. Despite this there is no protest whatsoever and there is as silence in the National Assembly as deep as in the graveyard. "

Question: "Is there any public reaction?"

Answer: "The public is rather flabbergasted as to what to do and what not. To whom should the people tell this? There were attacks at night in the past, however now they are attacking in the broad day light. The on-going operation, you know, is going on against the local people, that is why the NATO commander and the US officials have supported it."

Question: "The government has announced many good actions with reference to the tribal areas, when it sworn in?"

Answer: "The prime minister has announced that they would abolish the Federal Crime Regulations [FCR]. They will give them constitutional privileges to include them in the national mainstream. The public was euphoric over it. However, this is also a reality that after such announcements of the public welfare, the political bureaucracy or the political agents and their cohorts, take such immediate steps in the tribal areas that the government gets the wrong impression then it should reconsiders its policy before granting rights to the tribal people. Besides this, the matter worth-consideration is that the political agent receives non-auditable money from the government, which he distributes among the tribes who support him. There is a custom of "closed palm system" that the political agent thrust his closed palm in the pocket of the people. Now it is up to him whether he keeps one hundred rupees or five thousand in his palm. In this way, he spends money to keep the tribal people, their influential elders and the rich in his grip. I should tell you that in this way they create bad blood among the tribal people. They keep the organizations fighting. All these organizations are formed under their aegis. They make them strong through money and everything and let them flourish. Then a time comes, when they launch operation against them. We see that in this perspective, this operation is being conducted to keep the NATO supply line intact. That is why; the advisor to interior was making announcements many days prior to it. However, when this operation was launched, it was conducted against our own people. The residence of Mangal Bagh was blown over. Peaceful people were booked while the big fish, the car lifters and the anti-social elements, which all live in Khyber Agency, nothing was done against them. No house blast, no action has been taken against their centers. The action is only being taken against those, who are chanting shibboleths against the United States as "Death with the US".

Question: "Now there is the government of the ANP in the province, which is the local political party, what is it doing? What does it have to say in this regard?

Answer: "The ANP is completely under the US patronage. They have sworn in the power in the province only for the US agenda. The head of the ANP was on the 45 days US visit. He has tried to persuade the US officials during his visit that, it is only the nationalist, who can confront the clerics, the religion and Talibans. That is the reason that the Americans heaved a sigh of relief when they sworn in. This is the reason the ANP kept its mum over the operation. Now its ministers have issued the statements that they support the operation. "

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THAT IS ENOUHGH.