Pakistani religious body demand US leave region

Islamabad, Jan 14, IRNA -- Pakistan’s National Alliance for Religious Harmony strongly condemning assassination of IRGC Quds force commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani and demanded that the US leave the region. The party also called Milli Yekjehti Council is a grand alliance of 35 religious parties from all sects of Islam. Chief of the council Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair chaired the meeting hosted by Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Siraj-ul-Haq in eastern city of Lahore. On the occasion religious leaders of Shia and Sunni sects who are senior members of the council strongly condemning assassination of General Soleimani in Iraq termed it as an attack on Ummah. They said this region cannot further afford presence of the US forces thus they should immediately leave this area. Referring to Pakistan’s decision to skip Kuala Lumpur summit, they said that the country has to bear consequences of such hasty decisions. They asked the government to follow an independent foreign policy. Expressing concerns over the condition of Muslims in Nigeria they called for immediate release of Shia Muslim leader Ibrahim Yaqoub El Zakzaky. Tensions increased in the region following the IRGC Quds force commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani and the Deputy Commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), known as Hash al-Shaabi, Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes by the US on 3rd January in Baghdad. Later Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) targeted US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Al Anbar province in western Iraq on Wednesday in response to the US strikes. Recently on the direction of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited Iran and Saudi Arabia to de-escalate tensions in the region. Since the assassination of General Soleimani anti-US protests are continuing across Pakistan. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish