Strongest reaction by Pak Army on Munawar Hassan statement - Munawar Hassan insulted soldiers, martyrs: ISPR

This is Daily Jang 11-11-2013 Story

Says families of Shuhada, people seek JI Ameer’s unconditional apology; remarks irresponsible, misleading, self-serving; asks JI to clearly statei ts position; TTP spokesman lauds Munawar

ISLAMABAD: A spokesman of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday strongly condemned the irresponsible and misleading remarks by the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Ameer Syed Munawar Hassan in a TV programme, declaring dead terrorists as Shuhada (martyrs), while insulting the Shahadat (martyrdom) of thousands of innocent Pakistanis and soldiers of Pakistan’s armed forces.

In a statement, he said Syed Munawar Hassan tried to invent a logic based on his political convenience. “Strong condemnation of his views from an overwhelming majority leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that all of us are very clear on what the state of Pakistan is and who its enemies are,” the spokesman said.

“Sacrifices of our Shuhada and their families need no endorsement from Syed Munawar Hassan and such misguided and self-serving statements deserve no comments,” he said and added, “However, coming from the Ameer of the Jamaat-i-Islami, a party founded by Maulana Maududi, who is respected and revered for his services to Islam, is both painful and unfortunate.”

“The people of Pakistan, whose loved ones laid down their lives while fighting the terrorists, and families of Shuhada of armed forces demand an unconditional apology from Syed Munawar Hassan for hurting their feelings,” he said.

“The Jamaat-i-Islami should clearly state its party position on the subject”, the spokesman said. — APPNews Desk adds: Talking to Geo News, the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman lauded Munawar Hasan’s statement, stating that it reflected the teachings of Maulana Maududi. The spokesman, however, said JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s statement did not deserve any comment.

It may be mentioned that in the Geo News programme ‘Jirga’, the Jamaat-e-Islami chief had questioned the martyrdom of Pakistani soldiers. He had asked the programme host if an American fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan was not a martyr, how could those helping the Americans be called martyrs. The News Story