International

World leaders should take notice of Imran Khan's statement

Muttahidda Qaumi Movement's (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain has asked the leadership of the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany and other European countries to take serious note of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's declaration of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as a martyred hero, reports ANI.

"Pakistan's PM has held Laden in high esteem after declaring him a hero whom the US Marines had martyred in an ambush. The international community should be serious on what Pakistan's PM has asserted," said Altaf.

Osama bin Laden was most wanted international terrorist who unleashed terrorism around the world but Pakistani PM Imran Khan declares him a hero and hence the world leaders should reconsider their relationship with PM Imran Khan and Pakistan, said MQM leader in his address.

The whole world, including the President of the United States, wanted him, but the Pakistani army not only sheltered him in the country's military academy, but also built a fortified house near the army's Kakul Military Academy in Abbottabad where Laden had lived for years.

It was not a secret that Laden was hiding in Pakistan under an iron-shielded safe haven in close vicinity of Kakul, the military academy of Pakistan. However, Pakistani establishment and the Pakistani government kept on rejecting the presence of Osama in Pakistan.

When Osama's death was ensured to the world after a surgical US Marines operation in May 2011, it was revealed to the world that Osama had been living in Abbottabad for several years.

He said that many religious and political leaders in Pakistan have openly supported Osama, Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists and Pakistan's PM Imran Khan is one of them.

"Yesterday, Prime Minister Imran Khan also addressed the floor of the National Assembly. He called him a "martyred hero" and expressed his respect for him", the MQM Chief said while adding that the US, UK, EU and the entire civilised world had fought against terrorism for many years but Imran Khan was declaring Osama a martyred hero.

Hussain said that he had first explained to the people the fact that Talibanisation was taking place in the country and the Taliban were formed by the military establishment of Pakistan.

Taliban carried out open terror operations across the country, including Karachi, extorting money in billions in ransom from traders, industrialists and shopkeepers and are conducting open transactions with banks.

Altaf said, "They carried out bombings, suicide attacks on mosques and Imam dargahs in all cities of Pakistan and even captured the army headquarters, GHQ, but the army and the `jihadi' madrassas that produced them, who did terrorism in the name of jihad, no action was taken against the rioting mullahs (clerics)".

Terrorist Ehsanullah Ehsan, who claimed responsibility for the massacre of hundreds of innocent children and teachers at Army Public Schools in Peshawar and hundreds of terrorist incidents across the country instead of execution under the law was portrayed as a poet-writer through an anchor working on the military's payroll.

Altaf said, "Ehsan has escaped from the captivity of the army while the sad fact is that the body of a detainee is either recovered from the custody of the army or comes out as disabled".

He said that no prisoner can escape from the captivity of the army, no matter how powerful he may be. In fact, the detention and release of Ehsan was part of a deal that proved that Taliban are equally complicit in the massacre across the country.

Hussain said that Pakistan's army is basically a mercenary army that goes around the world to kill people for the interests and wealth of the great powers. The army fired on the Ka'aba, massacred thousands of Palestinians in Jordan, goes to Somalia and kills Muslims there and now it is killing the oppressed Muslims there in Yemen.

He said that 92 per cent of Pakistan's army is Punjabi.

"It is not Pakistan's national army but the Punjabi army. This Punjabi army has occupied Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Tribal areas, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Cholistan", said Altaf by adding that the state is squandering its resources and killing Sindhis, Mohajirs, Baloch, Pashtuns, Gilgitis Baltistanis and other oppressed peoples who are fighting for their rights. The state is crushing them.

Altaf said that non-Punjabis are not included in the army and security forces. He added, "In Pakistan only Punjabis are considered patriotic and high-class citizens while all other non-Punjabi entities are considered second and third class citizens. They are being treated like slaves and those who speak out against this cruel treatment are being crushed by state power".