Government and Taliban to release non-combatant prisoners : Munawar Hasan

Lahore: Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Syed Munawar Hasan, has made an impassioned appeal to the government and the Taliban to release non-combatant prisoners in their custody in order to improve the atmosphere and for the success of dialogue.

Talking to various delegations at Mansoora on Friday, he said that success of the talks was something a  crying need for the country and the nation, therefore, neither side should make any thing an issue of ego. He said that the enemies of Islam and Pakistan were spreading network of conspiracies against this country. Therefore, the government should proceed with extreme care and prudence in order to foil the enemy designs and should not make any demand as could damage or obstruct talks.

Syed Munawar Hasan deplored that on one hand, women and children were dying of thirst and hunger in Thar, while on the other hand, the Sindh government was spending billions of rupees from the public exchequer on advertisements on Z.A. Bhutto’s death anniversary.

The JI chief said that the eyes of the entire nation were on the government/ Taliban talks and the masses wanted to hear some good tiding on this front. He said that government and the Taliban should try to avoid lingering on the talks and reach a final decision at the earliest. He said that although the conspiracies to sabotage the talks were dying out gradually, yet as long as the two sides did not arrive at a common line of action and announced success of the talks, the enemies of peace would not accept their defeat.

Syed Munawar Hasan said that the Prime Minister’s chairing the  joint meeting was a happy sign and said that the Prime Minister should direct the official committee to finalize its case at the earliest and also accept the Taliban demand for release of prisoners.  He also appealed to the Taliban to release all innocent people in their custody including the son of former Prime Minister  Yousaf Raza Gilani if he was also in their custody.