Afghanistan war turns Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl into foes

The Awami National Party and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, which were friendly earlier, have now turned foes with the former blaming the latter's chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, for the killing of millions of Pakhtuns and bringing about anarchy. The confrontation between the nationalist and religious parties started after Fazl, during a public meeting in South Waziristan tribal district on Sunday, felicitated the Afghan Taliban over their military gains in the country, Dawn reported."Why not congratulate [Afghan] Taliban as they have defeated the US in Afghanistan after 20 years of war? America and its allies (Nato) called them (Taliban) terrorists, but I always called them Mujahid and will do so in future as well," the JUI-F chief told his supporters, including students of seminaries, in Makeen area of South Waziristan tribal district, reported Dawn.

He asked his critics to understand the JUI-F's stand about the Afghan situation and said his party had been calling for dialogue among warring factions.

Fazl said he had urged the Afghan Taliban to come to the negotiating table despite the recent military gains.

Without naming the ANP, Fazl said some people were blindly following America's policies in the region.

"Don't expect this from Fazlur Rehman," he said, adding that nationalists should not teach him how to do politics.

Reacting to the statement of the JUI-F chief, ANP central secretary general Main Iftikhar Hussain said Fazl had the blood of hundreds of thousands of Afghanistan's Pakhtuns on his hands.

In a statement issued in Peshawar on Monday, Hussain said history couldn't be distorted as the JUI-F chief and his allies supported Haqqanis and Osama bin Laden to continue turmoil in Afghanistan.

"Your (Fazl's) hands are soaked in the blood of millions of Pakhtuns and you took financial benefits in the name of jihad in Afghanistan," he alleged.

The ANP leader said the JUI-F leader was supporting the Afghan Taliban at the behest of the establishment.

He added that former interior minister Naseerullah Babar and a former director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence had revealed in their books that Fazl was the supporter of the Afghan Taliban.

"When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman declared it jihad, while the ANP leaders called it anarchy," he said.

Meanwhile, ANP central secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain addressed a gathering in Durmai Top area of Buner district and said peaceful Afghanistan was vital for peace in Pakistan and rest of region.

He asked the governments of Pakistan, US, China, Iran, Turkey and Russia to play their due role to resolve the Afghan issue.

( With inputs from ANI )