October 14, 2001	Sunday	Rajab 26, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 13: Mr Altaf Hussain, chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), has asked the leaders of religious parties and Jihadi groups created by what he called the ISI, to give an answer to the people of Pakistan in general and the people of Sindh in particular as to why have they made Karachi the centre of their activities?

In a statement issued from London and received here on Saturday, the MQM leader asked all Jihadi and religious groups to answer the question raised by the people of Sindh, or quit Sindh and Karachi for good. Otherwise, to save the province of Sindh, the people of the province would unite against those who were responsible for sabotaging the peace of Sindh and announce their line of action and act upon it, he said.

He said that the headquarters of all religious parties and Jihadi groups, including Jamaat-i-Islami, were based in Punjab, which was the most populous province of Pakistan and took lion’s share from the national exchequer.

Mr Hussain asked why had these religious parties and Jihadi groups deserted their headquarters in Punjab and made Karachi, their centre to hold demonstrations and agitations and why do they exempt the province of Punjab from demonstrations, agitations and waging Islamic wars or Jihad?

Mr Hussain said that the land of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai was the land of peace, love and harmony, which was being held hostage at gunpoint by Jihadi and extremist religious groups. To fulfil their ulterior motives, these groups had systematically destroyed the peaceful atmosphere of Sindh by initiating violent protests and making Sindh the centre for their activities, he said.