A week after the Donald Trump administration suspended its $255 million military aid to Pakistan slamming it for "not doing enough" to combat terrorism, a prominent leader from Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) was seen sharing dais with Lashkar's Abdul Rahman Makki.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was on Sunday seen attending a public meeting of Difa-i-Pakistan Council (DPC) in Peshawar. The meeting was also addressed by Jamaatud Dawaah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed via telephone after authorities denied him permission to attend the event.
The Dawn reportedthe incident, calling Khattak's presence at the event " a step further to appease religious, hardcore groups."
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The Difa-i-Pakistan Council is a coalition of more than 40 hardline Islamic parties that advocate conservative policies and often targets India.
Saeed, in his telephonic address, continued with his rhetoric and threats against the United States and India. The terror mastermind alleged that the two countries, along with other allies, were trying to create "problems" for Pakistan.
He also said that India would never become a super power.
The participation of Chief Minister Khattak in the conference stirred controversy in the circles of Pakistan politics as well. Several leaders called for a national unity in the wake of harsh criticism by the United States on the issue of terrorism.
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Recently, a photograph of Palestine's Pakistan envoy Waleed Abu Ali sharing a platform with JuD chief Hafiz Saeed at a rally in Rawalpindi had surfaced on the social media.
India reacted sharply on the matter. Expressing rage over the photographs, India issued a strongly worded demarche to the Palestine government.
"We have seen reports in this regard. We are taking up the matter strongly with the Palestinian Ambassador in New Delhi and with the Palestinian authorities," the spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in a statement.
