Saeed against reopening of NATO supply routes

Islamabad: A grouping of over 40 hardline and extremist groups, including LeT founder Hafiz Saeed’s Jamat-ud-Dawah, have rejected a Pakistan Parliament resolution that could lead to the reopening of NATO supply routes to Afghanistan, saying it will protests against it. The leaders of the group Defa-e-Pakistan Council announced their stance at a public meeting held in the northwestern city of Peshawar yesterday. A joint session of Parliament last week adopted a resolution that could lead to the resumption of non-lethal supplies to foreign troops in Afghanistan via Pakistani territory. [caption id=“attachment_277085” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Saeed said the grouping would seek the opinion of the people about the reopening of NATO supply routes and organise a “long march”. AP”]  [/caption] Saeed, for whom the US recently announced a $10 million bounty, told the gathering that the reopening of NATO supply routes would be akin to helping the foreign forces prolong their stay in Afghanistan. He said most of the Parliamentarians censured the policy of military ruler Pervez Musharraf but followed in his footsteps while framing their policies. “We oppose the Parliament’s decision of resuming NATO supplies and will show to the world that this act of the Parliament is against the aspirations of the people of Pakistan,” he said. “The only solution to the unrest in the region lies in the withdrawal of the US-led NATO forces from Afghanistan,” he claimed. Saeed, who cobbled together the Defa-e-Pakistan Council after a cross-border NATO air strike on military posts killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November, said the grouping would seek the opinion of the people about the reopening of NATO supply routes and organise a “long march”. He did not say when the protest would be organised. PTI