Saudi Arabia using Hajj as 'political weapon': Pak MP

Senator Col (Retired) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi told IRNA in an exclusive interview that Hajj is not a political issue, it is a religious obligation and it is right of every Muslim to perform Hajj.
Member Senate foreign affairs committee said: Hajj should not be used as any negotiating instrument; I believe that Saudi Arabia is wrong in barring Iranian people to perform Hajj which is their basic, fundamental and Islamic right.
He said it is unacceptable that a particular community or particular sect of Islam is denied this basic right of the Muslims.
Chairperson of Pakistan senate committee on planning development believed: Definitely the Hajj of last year was mismanagement, the crane fall on Hajjis, closing down of certain lanes, in fact it was culmination of many mistakes which resulted in unfortunate deaths.
He said state of Saudi Arabia has created lot of problems for Pakistan, like the issue of sectarianism, funding of maddarsas with Wahabi school of thought.
“Every single Taliban, LeJ, Sipah-e-Sahab or any banned militant organization have been Wahabis,” he pointed out.
'We respect Saudi government but the export of extremism and publicity campaign of very rigid version Islam from Saudi Arabia is causing real problem to the people of world at large and Pakistan, especially.'
Mashhadi expressing his views on the decision of Pakistan to join military alliance led by Saudi Arabia said joining a military alliance without knowing its objective is not a good foreign policy for Pakistan and even strategically not good military policy.
The member of Senate defence committee said that Americans don’t care for their friends or anybody except for the Zionist regime which is integral part of their foreign policy.
“US denied our F-16s which was a done agreement and some other steps US has taken in recent days show that US has less reliance on Pakistan,” he added.
The Senator said Pakistan has realized that it cannot be treated like this.
'We are an independent sovereign nation and we will follow our own foreign policy which will be more dynamic and suited to our own interest.'
Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi made clear that the US must be blamed for the longstanding issue of Palestine, their illegal, unrealistic and blind support for Zionist regime is the real problem.
“Another problem in this regard is the silence of Arab states on the issue of Palestine,” he regretted.
He said Muslim countries surrounding Zionist regime have accepted its dominance and policies of some Arab governments are definitely serving the interests of Zionist regime.
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