Presence of foreign forces hindering peace in region: Fazl

NOWSHERA: On the last day of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F)’s centennial celebrations, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman on Sunday said that presence of the international forces in the region was hindering good relations between the two Islamic countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan, ARY News reported.

Addressing a public gathering, the chief JUI-F Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman said that peace in Afghanistan was unlikely amid the presence of international forces.

“International forces must withdraw from Afghanistan for stability and peace in the region”, he remarked.

Expressing concerns over ongoing bloodshed in Iraq and Syria, he said that after second world war, the global institutions failed to prevail peace in the world.

On holding three-day centenary celebrations successfully, he said the International Ijtimah (congregation) has sent a positive message to the world. “We want to have good relations with rest of the world on the basis of equality”, he asserted.

“Islam is the religion of peace”, he underlined.

Raising his concern on ongoing atrocities in Indian Kashmir, he said Pakistan wants friendly relations with India by holding negotiations on all issues including Kashmir territorial dispute.

He said that he wished to see Pakistan as truly a democratic and independent country. “Pakistan is rich in natural resources which appealed the foreign countries time to time, the contract with international companies should be made keeping the national interest in view”.

Lambasting the Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), he said that many of those NGOs working to safeguard foreign interest in the country.

Meanwhile, he also talked about Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and said that any decision regarding FATA should not be imposed forecefully.