Pakistan clerics denounce air attacks
Some of Pakistan’s most influential clerics swiftly denounced the US and British attacks, calling them an attack against Islam and grounds for holy war.
One organisation summoned Muslims to ‘‘extend full support to their Afghan brothers.’’
The Pakistan government, which has thrown its support to the US-led coalition against terrorism, said it regretted that diplomatic efforts did not succeed and called for the US action to remain ‘‘clearly targeted.’’
In Chaman, vehicles carrying Pakistani soldiers could be seen heading for the Afghan border.
The influential and Taliban-sympathetic Afghan Defence Council, based in Lahore, issued a call for jihad, or holy war. The council comprises of more than 30 religious and militant groups.
‘‘It is the duty of every Muslim to support their brothers in this critical hour,’’ central leader Riaz Durana said. ‘‘We will support the Taliban physically and morally against the aggression of America.’’
Munawar Hassan, deputy chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan’s most powerful religious political party, called the strikes on Kabul, ‘‘an attack against Islam.’’ He warned of ‘‘serious backlash’’ within Pakistan’s military against President General Pervez Musharraf.
‘‘The Pakistan army does not agree with Musharraf,’’ Hassan said, calling for protest rallies across the nation on Monday.
Condemnation also came from the militant group Haraka ul-Mujahedeen.
‘‘Americans have used their might to kill innocent people in Afghanistan instead of targeting training camps about which they were ... making a hue and cry,’’ said Amar Mehdi, spokesman for the group, which advocates the independence of Indian-ruled Kashmir.
Haraka ul-Mujahedeen is among the organisations whose assets were frozen by the United States, Pakistan and other countries as part of a campaign against movements linked to Saudi exile Osama bin Laden. He is considered the top suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
Pakistan shares a border of more than 1,050 miles with Afghanistan. Languages, ethnicities and even family ties overlap, and many Pakistanis, even those with no sympathy for the ruling Taliban militia, are reluctant to see Afghanistan attacked.
In the centre of the border town of Peshawar tonight, knots of angry men gathered, shouting ‘‘Osama! Osama!’’ and ‘‘America is a terrorist.’’ Some held crackling radios to their ears and called out news updates.
‘‘It is terrorism against terrorism, and that will solve nothing,’’ said Amin Shinwari.
Police watched and dispersed only crowds that grew beyond several dozen. Several restaurants reopened to serve kebabs and tea.
