LAHORE  - The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) convention Wednesday began at Minar-i-Pakistan as hundreds of delegations from Sindh, Azad Kashmir, Balochistan and Gillgit had arrived at the Ijtima venue. The two-day Ijtima began one-day earlier because all the 18 tent cities, set up at the venue, were filled with the participants.
A spokesman for JuD said that the venue had become overcrowded due to the overwhelming response from all sections of the society across the country. He said more arrangements were being made to accommodate the delegations that would reach today to attend the Ijtima. He said more than 15,000 volunteers had encircled the Ijtima venue for security of the participants.
Talking to a delegation of columnists about the convention, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed said these days Pakistan was facing severe political crisis, sectarianism and social disintegration, while their enemies were leaving no stone turned in worsening these crises. He said that there were also great tensions on Line of Control and international borders with India and Afghanistan.  
He said America was leaving Afghanistan and deputing India to fight the war he had lost.  He said America had attacked the Afghanistan with the major objective of capturing Pakistan in the future but it got stuck in Afghanistan. He said that the situation was not also quite good in Balochistan where foreign forces were working against Pakistan.
“Amidst these great crises, JD is holding a national Ijtima to raise awareness among the masses and political and religious parties about the objectives of the foundation of Pakistan – the Pakistan ideology and promoting unity and solidarity among the Muslim Ummah,” Hafiz Saeed said.
He also believed that India and America had joined hands to destabilize Pakistan with an aim to declare it a ‘terrorist state’. He said that they had contacted and invited all political and religious parties to the Ijtima. He said that a national conference would be held today (Thursday) at the Ijtima. He also said that independence movement had geared up in Jammu Kashmir.
Later, a spokesman for Faleh-e-insaniyat Foundation said that they ahd established 22 medical dispensaries at Minar-e-Pakistan, while 70 ambulances would also be available to the participants of Ijtima for any medical emergency. About 60 committees were formed for smoothing holding of the convention which was aimed at promoting Pakistan ideology and making the Muslim Ummah ‘one nation.
The party leadership has directed to shift all offices of Faleh-e-Insaniyat Foundation and JuD to the Ijtima venue to ensure full coordination.