Amid Israel’s ongoing war against Palestinian mega-terror outfit Hamas, key figures in Pakistan and Afghanistan are continuing foreign tours while Sirajul Haq, the emir of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP), visited Kabul, Tehran, Doha, and Ankara in order to assemble a collective strategy against Israel. Meanwhile, according to a credible source, sitting in Doha, few members of Pakistan Army’s special elite unit are supervising Israel Defense Forces (IDF)’s anti-terror operation in Gaza and continuously coordinating with Hamas members.
Media reports said, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Sirajul Haq was in Doha on November 6, 2023, where he was accompanied by Sabir Awan, the deputy emir of Jamaat-e-Islami for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and Asif Luqman Qazi, the director of external affairs of Jamaat-e-Islami. Earlier he visited Tehran and held meeting with Iranian leaders including officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Jamaat-e-Islami, an ultra-Islamist and pro-militancy party was founded by Islamic theologian Syed Abul A’ala Maududi.
Giving details of Sirajul Huq’s itinerary in Tehran, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) in a report said, in a meeting with Ayatollah Agha Qomi, the advisor for external affairs for the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and other Iranian leaders, Sirajul Haq said: “The universal message of Syed Abul A’ala Maududi and Imam Khomeini is to piece together the world of Islam into a single thread. All Islamic countries should unite and stop Israeli barbarism. One month has passed; and Gaza is burning. The international community and OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] have failed to rein in Israel”.
According to a report in Roznama Jasarat, the Urdu daily published by Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Sirajul Haq was expected to attend the conference of the leaders of the Islamist movements scheduled for November 9-10, 2023. The report said that Sirajul Haq was on a trip with stops in Iran, Qatar, and Turkey with the goal being “to persuade the officials of these three countries to agree on the practical steps to save the inhabitants of Palestine from Israeli atrocities”.
In Tehran, Sirajul Haq also met with Dr. Khaled Al-Qaddumi, a leader of Hamas based in Iran, and assured him of complete support and aid from the Pakistani public. The Jamaat-e-Islami chief also held meetings with Ayatollah Shahryari and Ayatollah Rahimian from the Defense Ministry of Iran.
According to a report in the Urdu daily Roznama Dunya, Sirajul Haq called for a conference of the OIC on Gaza, and stated on November 5: “Muslim rulers should announce a collective jihad against Israel in view of the barbarism in Gaza”; “The silence of Pakistan and Muslim rulers on the Palestinian issue is due to the fear of America. American aid is tantamount to issuing a license to Israel for massacre”.
In Doha, the Jamaat-e-Islami emir held a meeting with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Qatari leaders where they exchanged views on the situation in Gaza. Sirajul Haq’s meeting in Doha was also attended by Khaled Mashaal and the central leadership of Hamas, according to a report in the Urdu daily Roznama Express.
While Sirajul Haq was in Doha with Ankara as the next stop on his itinerary, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan was in Cairo to provide aid to the Palestinians and meet with Dr. Rami Al-Nazr, the head of Egyptian Red Cross.
On November 5, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the emir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) of Pakistan, also visited Doha where he met with Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh. At the meeting, Khaled Mashaal described Maulana Fazlur Rehman as the ambassador of Palestine in Pakistan and said: “It is obligatory upon the Muslim Ummah to unite against the Israeli crimes. The countries that advocate human rights are reaching Tel Aviv with ships filled with weapons. The Muslim Ummah should also enter the battlefield for the support of Palestinian brothers, support their mothers, sisters and brothers”.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, a leading Islamic religious scholar who can mobilize millions of Pakistanis, is leading a delegation that includes Maulana Rashid Muhammad Soomro, the Secretary General of JUI-F for Sindh province, and Mufti Abrar Ahmad, another Islamic religious scholar. At the meeting in Doha, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said: “Israel is making shameless efforts to transform the First Qibla [i.e., Jerusalem] into Haikal [Solomon’s Temple] by oppression in Palestine. Palestinians are fighting for the liberation of the First Qibla by performing the fard [obligatory duty] of the entire Muslim Ummah, not for their own land”.
According to a report in the Urdu daily Roznama Dunya, Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s was to travel to Doha and Ankara on his week-long trip before likely visiting refugee camps in Lebanon or Egypt. The Pakistani cleric was scheduled to meet with “government officials in Turkey and Qatar” and discuss ways of providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian refugees.
