KASUR: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan says JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had supported jihad during the Afghan war though the parliament had not approved it.
Later, the nation faced terrorism and other horrible consequences of the war, he said and added that past political decisions and Pakistan’s involvement in the Afghan warmust be debated and that terrorism was the consequence of misguided decisions spanning overseveraldecades.
‘Difference of opinion must be countered with arguments rather than abuse and respecting the dignity and honour of Pakistan’s armed forces is a national responsibility,’ he said and added that he wanted to raise several questions with Maulana Fazlur Rehman in the spirit of constructive debate.
Mr Khan was addressing the opening ceremony of phase 2 of Jashn-i-Khudian Sports Gala at Khudian Khas Sports Stadium on Tuesday.
He stressed that society needed new ideas and intellectual perspectives as the absence of fresh thinking would only compound existingchallenges.
He added that disruptions and disorder in legislative assemblies were increasingly leaving little room for meaningful debate on Allama Iqbal’s concept of a new world.
‘What was the practical form of the new world envisioned by Allama Iqbal? Which parliament had authorised Pakistan’s involvement in the Afghan war following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan? In which parliamentary forum had decisions regarding the Mujahideen and the then US administration been taken?’ The speaker said decisions had been made to involve Pakistan in wars without obtaining parliamentary approval and their consequences continued to haunt successive generations in theform of fear, terrorism and insecurity.
He suggested that Pakistan’s involvement in the Afghan war, subsequent policies and political decisions taken during different periods required accountability and explanation through reasoned debate.
Referring to the devastating impact of terrorism, he said schools, colleges, markets, public squares, courts, the armed forces and police personnelhad all been targeted.
The question was what kind of intellectual thinking had allowed terrorism to take root in society and disrupt the everyday lives of ordinary citizens, said Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan.
Coming back to the subject of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he suggested to him to explain,through reasoned argument, the past political decisions concerning the Legal Framework Order, election of a uniformed president, the Hasba Bill, formation of the Muttahida Majlisi-Amal (MMA) and the 2002 general eleetions.
The PA speaker said forceful rhetoric alone could not establish one’s preferred position as correct or dismiss an opposing viewpoint as wrong and difference of opinion should be answered with arguments rather than abuse, intimidation,threats orridicule.
Speaking about the security situation, he said terrorism was the consequence of misguided decisions taken over several decades and it had now become a grave challenge, threatening both human lives and the country’s nationalideology.