Fazl for Pak-Afghan body to curb terrorism, drug trafficking
By Athar Azeem - The News Int./Jang (Pak) 7/5/00

KARACHI: Amir Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam(F)Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Tuesday said a Pak-Afghan commission should be set up to fight the menace of terrorism and drug trafficking. In an interview with The News, he said: "Pakistan is under immense pressure from foreign countries on the issues of terrorism and drug trafficking."

Fazl said the chief executive, in a meeting in Islamabad on Monday, told him that the government was facing immense pressure from foreign countries on the issues of terrorism and drug trafficking and they usually said the people go to Pakistan and then slip to Afghanistan for training in terrorism.

Fazl said he suggested to the chief executive that a Pak-Afghan ministerial-level commission should be formed and that these issues should discussed with the Taliban. "The chief executive informed me about his deep concern over the issues. I advised him to set up a commission which will also help in exchanging information between the two brotherly countries," the JUI chief said.

Answering a question, he said: "The West is propagating against the Muslims and dubbing them as terrorists and we are following the West. We, on the other hand, claim that the West is the real terrorist and Islam on the contrary is the religion of peace, harmony and brotherhood. When they have their motives they could declare terrorism as Jihad and when not they could declare Jihad as terrorism. The ongoing propaganda is changing the minds of the people in favour of religion and the religious people. Religious parties have positive impact on the society. Religious people are fully active against terrorism and are doing their best to help curb it."...