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Islamic pressure groups based in Pakistan today voiced support for Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement in facing new UN sanctions, and urged all Islamic countries to do the same.
In a resolution passed at a meeting of their leaders, more than 30 mainly Islamic groups warned the United States, the European Union and India to change their policies towards the Muslim world or face a possible boycott of their goods.
Pakistan is one of three countries that recognises Afghanistan's ruling Taliban along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The meeting was the largest gathering of Pakistani groups in support of the Taliban, against which the UN Security Council last month ordered new sanctions, including an arms embargo, for refusing to expel Saudi-born terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden.
Masked gunmen wearing camouflage jackets and carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles guarded the meeting at an Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom Haqqania, from where many members of the Taliban movement have graduated.
The resolution urged Pakistan's Government to approach other Islamic countries to help the Taliban face the pressure of sanctions, which were sponsored by the United States and Russia.
It said Pakistan should also call for convening an urgent meeting of the 54-nation Organisation of Islamic Conference and added: "It should be made clear that nobody will be permitted to destroy the Afghan people."
It said: "America, the European Union and India should change their attitude towards the Islamic world, (particularly) Pakistan and Afghanistan, otherwise an organised campaign will be launched to prepare the self-respecting Pakistani people to boycott their products."
"The entire world is caught up in a struggle with America and its allies on one side and oppressed and innocent people, including Muslims, on the other side," said Qazi Hussain Ahmad, leader of the main Islamic Jamaat-i-Islami party, in a speech.
"This struggle has been described as the clash of civilisations and the United States is using terrorism (as an excuse) to malign Islam," he said. "They are creating an atmosphere that will allow them to act against the Muslims."
Maulana Samiul Haq, leader of a faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam party that convened the meeting, called the Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on the Taliban as a "declaration of war against Muslims" which all Muslims should be prepared to face.
"It should be made clear to the Pakistani Government that it will face severe resistance from the country's religious circles if it tried to implement the United Nations sanctions," he said.
Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, leader of Lashkar-e-Toiba guerrilla group, called for Jihad, or holy war, to face what he called Western policies to "subjugate" Muslims.
"The sanctions (imposed on Taliban) are trial with two ways to get out of it," he said. "One is to please Europe and America and to accept their subjugation, and the other is to strengthen Jihad and adopt the path of confronting Kufr (infidelity)."
The resolution passed by the meeting
told Non-Governmental Organisations working in Pakistan to speak of "severe
violation of the Afghan people's human rights" otherwise they should quit
the country as "no guarantee could be given about their safety". (REUTERS)
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