NAWABSHAH, May 29: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Senator Khalid Mehmood Soomro believes that Osama bin Laden is still alive and says that Osama is not the name of a person but a symbol of an ideology.

The Abbotabad operation, he said, was a planned “farce” staged by the United States to create a pretext to leave Afghanistan after suffering defeat.

He said speaking at a seminar on “Islam and terrorism” held here on Sunday.

He said he saluted Osama because he had the courage to challenge a superpower. Thousands of US agents were busy carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan to destablise the country, he said.

Dr Soomro said Pakistan did not need American aid because it was rich in mineral and other natural resources.

The suicide attackers who were killing innocent people, he said, were enemies of Islam, adding that the US and Israeli agents were carrying out suicide attacks in the country.

Abdul Razzaq Abid Lakho said the JUI-F stood for peace because terrorism was forbidden in Islam. Maulvis were accused of being followers of the US but everyone now knew who were its agents, he said.

The US was behind acts of terror and violence and it should be boycotted to eradicate terrorism, he said.

At the seminar, Dr Soomro asked participants to raise the slogans of “Zinda Hay Osama zinda Hay” (Osama is alive) “Tum Kitnay Osama Maro Gay, Har Ghar Say Osama Nikle Ga”.

Before asking people to raise the slogans, he warned the people present there whosoever failed to do so would cease to be a Muslim.