...
The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka
The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an
independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
(JI) front man Dr Farid Ahmad Paracha has condemned allegations levelled by veteran journalist Najam Sethi
Publisher of Pak Daily Times, Friday Times, and my hero...
in a private TV programme in which he blamed JI for supporting General Zia ul Haq
...the creepy-looking former dictator of Pakistain. Zia was an Islamic nutball who imposed his nutballery on the rest of the country with the enthusiastic assistance of the nation's religious parties, which are populated by other nutballs. He was appointed Chief of Army Staff in 1976 by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whom he hanged when he seized power. His time in office was a period of repression, with hundreds of thousands of political rivals, minorities, and journalists executed or tortured, including senior general officers convicted in coup-d'état plots, who would normally be above the law. As part of his alliance with the religious parties, his government helped run the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan, providing safe havens, American equipiment, Saudi money, and Pak handlers to selected mujaheddin. Zia died along with several of his top generals and admirals and the then United States Ambassador to Pakistain Arnold Lewis Raphel when he was assassinated in a suspicious air crash near Bahawalpur in 1988...and receiving funds from the ISI.
The JI reserves the right to initiate legal proceedings against the anchorperson, Paracha said.
In a rejoinder issued on Monday, the JI leader said that "so called intellectuals are trying to create unrest and anarchy in the country to fulfil foreign agenda".
He said the JI's struggle for restoration of democracy was a matter of record and it had offered huge sacrifices against dictatorial rule.
Paracha said that Najam Sethi was "out of his senses most of the time" and did not know what he was saying.
He added that it was the Pakistain National Alliance (PNA) and not the JI which had joined Zia ul Haq's government and "therefore blaming JI alone for joining Zia ul Haq is a clear act of dishonesty".
He also pointed out that during Zia ul Haq rule, the JI had suffered the most as the party mayor of Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
was unlawfully removed and JI student's wing, Islami Jamait-e-Talaba, was penalised the most.
Paracha said that the JI had repeatedly denied having receiving funds from the ISI. He said Najam Sethi's allegations that former JI leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad
... third president (1987--2009) of the PakJamaat-e-Islami. Qazi was also head of the Muttahidah Majlis-e-Amal until his ego became bigger than the organization. Qazi is what is known as a
fierypreacher, which means he has lots of volume, a good delivery, and not a lot of reverence for coherence. He was the patron of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Rasool Sayyaf and Osama bin Laden during the war against the Soviets. He used to recommend drinking camel's urine to maintain good health before his kidneys started to go...
had confessed to receiving ISI funds were "frivolous and concocted".
"In fact, Qazi sahib himself had filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging this allegation."
He said the JI had challenged political parties to produce any proof in this regard but no such evidence was ever produced before the court.