SWABI, March 30: The suicide attack on activists of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl on Wednesday left several of them killed and injured but it couldn't shake chief of the party, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who refused to change his plan of addressing a public meeting after the blast.

The workers of JUI-F were waiting for their leader at Swabi interchange on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway when the suicide bomber attacked them.

Before attending the public meeting, Mr Rehman dashed to Khunda, district headquarters hospital and Shahmansoor hospital to enquire after the health of injured workers and meet their relatives.

Though some of the party workers proposed postponement of the public meeting after the attack, yet the leaders insisted to hold it at any cost.

The JUI-F chief delivered a firry speech at the meeting in the playground of government high school and party workers applauded him on a number of occasions. “I have never seen my leader in such an angry mood,” said one of the workers.

Mr Rehman said that their workers were determined to continue their struggle. He termed killing of activists in the suicide attack a great loss for the party and families of the victims. He alleged that instability across the country was result of the flawed policies of rulers.

The JUI-F workers were guarding venue of meeting and thoroughly checking each participant before allowing him to enter the playground.

About the attack, Mr Rehman said that he didn't want to comment on it as facts were not unveiled by the security agencies concerned. “We ask the government why it failed to make adequate security arrangements and why security was not provided to our workers,” he questioned.

He said that they would continue their struggle despite such incidents. No one could stop them from marching towards their destination, he said. He alleged that America was a terrorist state and its policies were based on terrorism. He said that supporters of American policies were also terrorists.

He came down heavily on Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, saying he had buried the non-violence philosophy of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.

“When the former Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan, the ANP leadership embraced them. Now the American and Nato forces are butchering Pakhtuns but ANP leaders are supporting them,” he said.

He said that war on terror was not their war. “It is American war, which is fought on the soil of Pakhtuns. We oppose this war as killing of Pakhtuns is not acceptable to us,” he said. He said that government should change its policies.

About the Middle East crisis and no-fly-zone in Libya, he said that America and its western supporters were just changing leaders, which would not bring any change in the life of common people.

Mr Rehman said that the US and its allies were using United Nations as a tool for achieving their global objectives.