LAHORE, Nov 29: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawwar Hasan on Tuesday appealed to the nation to observe a protest day on Friday to condemn the unprovoked Nato attacks on Pakistan`s military posts resulting in the martyrdom of 24 officers and soldiers.

In a press statement on Tuesday, he welcomed the Defence Committee of the Cabinet`s decision to stop Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) supplies, evacuation of the Shamsi airbase, and the government decision to boycott the Bonn Conference to be held next week.

He directed the JI leaders and workers and appealed to all religious parties to join the protest for the great national cause. He impressed upon the rulers to stick to these decisions, get the other airbases vacated from the US/Nato and permanently stop the Nato supplies because the country`s defence was not possible without these steps.

Hasan, however, stressed that the fate of these decisions should not be like that of the resolutions of the parliament and the APC`s. In order to ensure the implementation of these decisions, the government would have to break the begging bowl, and the rulers would have to adopt austerity.

The JI chief said the country`s independence, sovereignty and national honour had been badly undermined. Even in the past, the US drones had been intruding into Pakistan`s territory and innocent Pakistanis were made the target of missiles. This country had provided all the facilities to the US and Nato in its war on terror and acted as the frontline state. Its economy had been ruined due to this war. However, in response to that, Washington`s attitude towards Pakistan had always been insulting.

In fact, he said, the US was the natural ally of India and an enemy of Pakistan. Therefore, it was high time that the government got rid of the US. He said unfortunately the rulers in Islamabad had become crazy for dollars and whenever Washington gave any threat, the rulers became nervous. That was why all the decisions against US so far had not been implemented.

He, however, warned that the governments which did not respect parliament or judiciary always lost respect in the world and were doomed to lose freedom. The parliament, he said, represented the masses and its decisions were termed people`s decisions. Civilised societies respected these decisions, implemented these on their own and also made the world to respect these.

By Our Staff Reporter