KARACHI, Nov 14: Chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, has asked his party legislators to introduce a bill in the assembly against killings motivated by religious and sectarian differences.

He was addressing ulema who attended an iftar at Khurshid Memorial Hall on Thursday.

He said the Muslim world was passing through a critical phase, but the more than 50 Muslim countries had not been able to evolve an agreed strategy.

He regretted that in the recently concluded OIC meeting in Malaysia no agreed formula was evolved to deal with the present situation.

He was critical of the media here for criticising the west and branding it as oppressive. He was of the view that such an attitude was not in the spirit of the traditions set by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

He was also critical of those who issued addicts against different sects and religious groupings. He stressed the need for unity among different schools of thought and warned that the atom bomb was no guarantor of national security. In this context he cited the example of the dismemberment of the former Soviet Union.

He said that Islam is a religion of peace and amity and does not allow killing over religious differences.

He called for the opening of the Khokhrapar route which he said would benefit the people. Mr Hussain regretted that the loyalty of those demanding opening of the Khokhrapar route was questioned, and travels across Wagah in Punjab were not seen in that way.

He said that provincial autonomy should not just be mentioned in the constitution, but practised. He also opposed the dual educational system in the country and demanded that a balanced and pragmatic educational system be introduced.

Mr Altaf Hussain said that ethnic, religious and sectarian divides become sharp when the gulf between the have and have-nots widens and the institutions responsible for dispensing justice are not independent. “In such countries adhocism and pseudo-democracy prevail”.

He observed that in Pakistan there was one set of rules for the privileged class and another for the people, and that was why Pakistan had not progressed.

Mr Altaf Hussain criticised the opposition parties who, he said, were not willing to accept Gen Pervez Musharraf as a president in uniform, though they had no such objection against Ziaul Haq. He also criticised the opposition for not allowing the assembly to legislate during the past one year.