LAHORE, Jan 16: Federal Railways Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmad says Pakistan and the US are allies, but in case of a clash of interests Pakistan will play its due role to safeguard its own national interests.

He was speaking at a meeting held by the Nazaria-i-Pakistan Foundation and the Pakistan Movement Workers Trust at their auditorium to pay a tribute to the leaders of the Pakistan Movement here on Tuesday with foundation chairman Majid Nizami in the chair.

Later, the minister told newsmen that Pakistan was fighting against terrorism with all sincerity. “If our role is not appreciated and instead we are ridiculed it will cause disappointment which can bring any results.”

He said Pakistan had sacrificed its soldiers and people. “We know the situation at the Pakistan-Afghan border and the ground realities far better than others. The US high-tech telescopes cannot see what Pakistan can see there,” he added.

Addressing the meeting, Shaikh Rashid said the Muslims of the Subcontinent had rendered great sacrifices for the sake of Pakistan but they got nothing and those elements and landlords had grabbed power who had been opposing its creation and were the lackeys of the British rulers.

He said there was one controversy in Pakistan; how to get hold of the seat of power - Islamabad. He held out categorical assurance to the people that the election would be free and fair and no rigging would be done. If the majority of the voters were behind their candidates and their workers were vigilant how was it possible to rig the poll, he said and added that no person could dare manipulate and rig the elections.

He said with the exception of eight or 10 main cities, votes at other places were cast in each constituency on the basis of caste, creed and ‘biradari’.

He said Ayub Khan ruled the country in uniform, so did Ziaul Haq and now Gen Pervez Musharraf.

He said rich Muslim countries were depositing their wealth in the US and European countries and if they invest at least one per cent of their wealth in Pakistan the fate of the country would change.

PML-N central Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said it was unfortunate the ideology of Pakistan had been a controversy in the country which was its very basis. He suggested that historians and intellectuals should sit together and settle once and for all the issue of the ideology of Pakistan.

He said Pakistan had noble values but it became the victim of the conspiracies hatched by the feudal lords, generals and judges.

Lt-Gen Hamid Gul (retired) said the Muslim League had launched the Pakistan movement under the leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam. It was then a movement, more than a political party when it was founded in 1906. After creation of Pakistan, it ceased to be a movement and become a political party divided into factions.