“I want to tell the Afghan government that India can never be your friend. In difficult times India will not stand with youit will celebrate,” Naeem said while addressing a rally in Peshawar on Sunday.
Afghan forces on Saturday night opened fire at multiple locations along the borderincluding Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Zhob district in Balochistan province.
The Pakistan Army responded swiftly and forcefully and its retaliatory action resulted in the death of 200 Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) operatives. Twenty-three soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom during the clashes. The attack from the Afghan side came at a time when Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was on an official visit to India.
Referring to the confrontation, Naeem urged the need to immediately restore peace and mutual trust between the two countries. He also appealed to Afghanistan not to allow its soil to be used against Pakistan and urged a joint plan of action against terrorism.
The JI chief urged both the Pakistani and Afghan governments to begin talks for peace immediately. He said hearts of the peoples of the two countries beat together but mistakes in strategy have worsened the situation. “Both countries should resolve their problems through negotiations. We should not fight among ourselves,” he said.
Hafiz Naeem also strongly criticized domestic politics and the system of governance. He said for the past 35 years power has rested with the establishment, which should have acknowledged its failures and handed authority back to politicians.
He argued that the current system must change and that the JI is the only real force capable of bringing about a revolution. “We will begin the process of changing the system from (Lahore’s) Minar-e-Pakistan,” he told participants.
He called the bureaucracy a legacy of the British era and said its improper use has produced economic injustices. “Bank balances and properties of bureaucrats and government officials have been built on the backs of our pockets,” he said.
He also questioned the judiciary’s authority, saying that courts have become powerless after the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Naeem also criticized the international community’s indifference to Palestinian suffering. He said that because Muslim and Arab states are weak, Israel is killing Muslims.
“We are an ideological nationwe will never recognize Israel.” He appealed to the nation to remain united and to take a clear stance against the recognition of Israel.