06 February 2004	Friday	14 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 5: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has given a call for a countrywide strike on Friday to condemn the government attitude towards father of country's nuclear programme, Dr AQ Khan, and to express solidarity with other scientists.

Jamiat Ittehad Ulema, prominent politician Meraj Muhammad Khan and Tehreek-i-Insaf Vice-President Dr Arif Alvi have also endorsed the strike call.

A mixed response from the people is likely to the call in the metropolis, like elsewhere in the country, as the swift measures taken by the government to counter the intensity of the issue had created confusion among their ranks, who appeared double-minded about going on strike after Dr AQ Khan's confessional statement. The newspaper offices on Thursday continued to receive calls from people inquiring about the strike.

However, MMA alliance parties also tried to counter the government strategy by utilizing the "Kashmir Day" rallies, where speakers accused the government of forcing Dr Khan to read out a dictated statement on the TV.

Members of the National Assembly, Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, Abdul Sattar Afghani, Muhammad Laeeq Khan and MPAs Nasrullah Khan Shaji, Hameedullah Khan, Yunus Barai and others, warned the police to create no obstacle in the way of observing a peaceful strike.

They also appealed to the citizens, traders, transporters, workers, lawyers, teachers, students and a cross sections of other people to express solidarity with nuclear scientists by keeping their business and transport closed.

The MMA leaders also directed their party workers to keep an eye on all those who wanted to sabotage the peaceful strike and foil their conspiracies.

They said that the strike was expected to be peaceful, which would prove a referendum against the government.

Besides politicians, different business and professional organizations have also endorsed the strike call, which include National Labour Federation, Islamic Lawyers Movement, Chartered Accountants Forum, Tanzeem Asatiza, Tehreek-i-Mehnat, Islami Nizamat-i-Taleem, and Pakistan Islamic Medical Association.

Pakistan Small Traders' Association's Mehmood Hamid said that over 300 traders and market associations would keep their business shut on Friday to express solidarity with the scientists.

Jamaat-i-Islami District West chief Sifat Ahmad Siddiqui has said that the strike would prove to the government that the people were united against the debriefing and media trial of national heroes.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: A major transport group, the Karachi Transport Ittehad, has decided to remain impartial to the MMA strike call.

KTI chief Irshad Bokhari said that some MMA legislators had tried to convince him for joining the strike, saying that "after their request, the KTI's emergency meeting was convened, which decided that the KTI should be impartial in the strike."

Another transporters' group, the National Transport Ittehad, also disassociated themselves with the strike call.