05 February 2004	Thursday	13 Zilhaj 1424

SARGODHA, Feb 4: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has decided to observe a strike on Feb 6 to condemn the alleged pro-US policy of the government besides bringing out procession on Feb 5 to show solidarity with the Kashmiri freedom fighters.

This was announced in a hurriedly called press conference by the leaders of MMA on Wednesday. Those who addressed the press conference included Jamaat-i-Islami ex-MNA Javed Iqbal Cheema, JUI's Abdul Sattar and Shaheen Mughal, and Tehrik-i-Jafria's Syed Waqar Hyder Naqvi.

They alleged that Gen Pervez Musharaf and his team were acting on the US agenda. They termed ousting of Dr Qadeer Khan and arrest of other scientists as an insult of an independent nation.

They claimed that the MMA would not sit idle on the insult of Pakistan.

They said they have given the protest call only to tell the government and its foreign masters that the nation was unhappy with the US interference in internal affairs of Pakistan.

They said the government was getting confessional statements from the scientists only to please their masters but the nation would neither accept those statements true nor allow government to cap the nuclear technology or compromise on the issue of Kashmir.

They said that provincial leaders of MMA, including Punjab president Hafiz Idrees, would reach here on Feb 5 at Qainchi Morr from where a procession would be brought out at 9am.

The participants would take a round of the city and a public meeting would be held at Kutchery Bazaar to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir.