02 March 2004	Tuesday	10 Muharram 1425

KARACHI, March 1: Leaders of various political parties, groups and alliances have condemned Sunday's attack on Karachi Press Club and described it as "an attack on the symbol of democracy and freedom of press."

The political leaders were commenting on the attack by an unruly mob which trespassed the club's vicinity, ransacked its property and beat up its watchman. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement's coordination committee deplored the attack on the Karachi Press Club and suicide bomber's attack on an Imambargah in Rawalpindi, and termed it 'a conspiracy to ignite sectarian violence'.

In a statement on Monday, the committee maintained that while peaceful protest for just demands was right of every citizen, the attack on KPC, ransacking its property and manhandling of its staff on Sunday evening was deplorable. This violent act is not conducive to democratic dispensation, it added.

The committee also demanded of the Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar to take stern action against such elements. It also deplored the suicide attack on an Imambargah in Rawalpindi and maintained that such attacks during Muharram were part of a conspiracy to provoke people's sentiments and lunge the society into a new vicious cycle of sectarian violence.

The elements behind such a conspiracy could not be called civilized human beings, it said. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal termed the attack 'uncalled for' and demanded of the government and the local administration to take action against the attackers.

MMA members of the National Assembly Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, Abdul Sattar Afghani and Laeeq Khan; and MPAs Nasrullah Khan Shaji, Hameedullah Khan and Yunus Barai said that the attack was a conspiracy to destroy peace in the city.

They said that the attack was a manifestation of the prevailing grave situation. They declared that if a group was offended by some institution, it could not justify the attack on the club.

Secretary of the PML Organizing Committee Shaikh Sirajuddin termed the press club 'most impartial institution' and said that those involved in the attack deserved condemnation, especially for ransacking its property and beating up the staffer.

Acting President of the JUP Prof Shah Faridul Haque, Joint Secretary Mohammad Hashim Siddiqui and Al-Khadim Group's leader Siddique Rathore said no one could be allowed to target journalists and their institution.

They described the attack as 'an attack on freedom of press' and called upon the government to take stern action against the miscreants without consideration of their party affiliation.

ANP's Joint Secretary Amin Khattak, expressing solidarity with journalists and their institutions, said it was time to take those responsible to task as the attack on KPC was 'an attack on a nascent democracy'.

Even in a worst autocratic period in the country's history, no one dared to attack the club despite the fact that certain parties and groups had experienced trial and tribulation of extreme nature in that period. The KPC, he said, was the only cradle of practising democracy and impartiality.