JAMRUD: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Sunday kicked off its long march against the delay in the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Bab-e-Khyber, a historical monument at the entrance of Khyber Pass in Jamrud. Earlier, JI FATA president Sardar Khan told a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club that the Dec 10 ‘long march’ would begin at the historic Bab-e-Khyber in Jamrud. The JI long march will reach its final destination, Islamabad, in three days. Scores of tribesmen participated in the long march to express anger at the delay in the implementation of FATA reforms. The JI leaders were of the view that delay in the FATA-KP merger tantamount to continuous denial of due rights to the tribal people. Jamaat-e-Islami leaders declared the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crucial for durable peace and socio-economic progress of the country. They said they would use all-out efforts to force the government to merge tribal areas with KP without delay. JI chief Sirajul Haq said that Muslim masses and their rulers were poles apart on the issue of Jerusalem. He said that masses were taking to the streets while rulers were confined to their palaces. Addressing a large public meeting at Lakki Marwat on Sunday, he said that the people of Karachi would hold a million march on December 17 against the US President Donal Trump’s Jerusalem declaration. HE expressed hope that this would be a historic march. He said that the US had imposed a new war on the Muslim world. However, he said that not only Muslims states but the US itself would not remain safe in this conflict. The JI chief said the liberation of the ‘Qibla-e-Awwal’ was an article of faith with each and every believer and no Muslim could lag behind in it. He said this was purely an ideological war and the Zionists were considering it a religious conflict and were taking part in it in every respect. The JI chief lamented that the enemy had not only occupied Muslim world’s resources, but had also enslaved its leadership. Therefore, he said, the real test was not of the rulers but the masses and it was to be seen how long it would take them to be free from the coterie of the US slaves. Siraj said that secular rulers of the country had never considered the Muslim world issues as theirs. The Muslim of Kashmir, Palestine and Burma were being killed liked insects but the Muslim rulers remained silent spectators. Even if the rulers uttered a word on public pressure, they did not have the courage to take any practical step. Commenting on the country’s political scene, Sirjaul Haq said the democratic system was in danger because of rulers’ behaviour. He said the JI had suggested Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar to resign at a much earlier stage but did not pay heed to the advice. Published in Daily Times, December 11th 2017.