KARACHI: Religious parties slammed for violent protest
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 14: The interior minister, Moinuddin Haider, has criticized religious parties for holding violent protests against the government’s decision to help the United States launch military strikes on Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Auditorium in Haji Abdullah Haroon Muslim Gymkhana on Saturday night.
He said that the so-called religious parties had no justification for violent demonstrations as all their demands — military strikes under the UN umbrella, credible evidence against Osama bin Laden, broad-based government in Afghanistan and no civilian casualties — had been met by the government.
“Why do the leaders of religious parties recruit young men and send them off to the front line in Afghanistan without proper training?” he wondered. By trashing public property in protest, the demonstrators were playing right into the hands of the enemy and transgressing the bounds of decency, he added.
Mr Haider said that an emotional decision of the government regarding US-led military strikes in Afghanistan could have been detrimental to the interests of the country, particularly its nuclear installations.
The interior minister told the Gymkhana members that he had raised all the issues of Karachi, such as KESC bills, flyovers and irrigation water for the province at cabinet meetings.
“Pakistan is also working towards getting its debts written off,” he hinted.
He said that the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, may announce more concessions, including waiving off some loans to Pakistan during his forthcoming visit.
The interior minister pointed out that Pakistan has already got a waiver in some loans by the United Kingdom during the visit of the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Moinuddin Haider said that work is in progress on seeking a waiver in loans from the US and it is hoped that Colin Powell will make some announcement in this regard.
Mr Moinuddin also stated that the government would cancel the declaration of newspapers which were printing sensational news items about the US action in Afghanistan by bringing out supplements.
Directing the Sindh information secretary, Mirza Karim Baig, to take action against fake newspapers, specially the eveningers, he said that the declaration of all such papers be cancelled without delay.
Also speaking on the occasion, famous physicist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan said that he could not forget the streets and lanes of Karachi during his college days. “How can one forget the kebabs at the Bundoo Khan restaurant and dahi baray with spicy chutney at a roadside stall in front of the DJ Science College,” he fondly reminisced.
Mr Khan said he had returned to Pakistan after India detonated nuclear devices in 1974. “I felt that I should do something to make the defence of my country stronger,” he said.
He thanked the Gymkhana for naming the auditorium after him.
City Naib Nazim, Tariq Hasan, said that people should not ransack public property in the name of Jehad.
The president of the Haji Abdullah Haroon Muslim Gymkhana, Siddiq Bilwani, lauded the services rendered by Dr A.Q. Khan.
“We were at a meeting in the Gymkhana on May 28, 1998, when we learnt that Pakistan had gone nuclear. We decided that we would build an auditorium and name it after Dr A.Q. Khan,” he said.
KARACHI, Oct 14: The interior minister, Moinuddin Haider, has criticized religious parties for holding violent protests against the government’s decision to help the United States launch military strikes on Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
