04 March 2004	Thursday	12 Muharram 1425

KARACHI, March 3: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief, Altaf Hussain, has slammed the attacks on Ashura processions in Quetta, Baghdad and Karbala in which a large number of mourners were killed.

He termed the attack a conspiracy to ignite sectarian clashes in the country. He emphasized that Shias and Sunnis did not want to fight over differences in fiqah, but some anti-social elements were conspiring to pit them against each other.

He demanded of the president and prime minister to ensure arrest of the culprits and further steps should be taken to protect life and property of the people.

In a separate statement, Mr Hussain also deplored bomb explosions in Karbala and Baghdad in which about 200 innocent people, including men, women and children were killed.

He called it a crime against humanity and expressed sympathy with the bereaved families. A spokesman for the Pakistan Peoples Party also deplored the terrorist attack on Muharram procession in Quetta and called it a conspiracy to divide the nation on sectarian line.

In a meeting of PPP coordination committee, chaired by Syed Qaim Ali Shah, deplored the attack in Quetta. Accusing the government of failing in providing protection to the common man, the coordination committee regretted that the incident happened in Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali's home province.

The meeting noted that PML-Q and MMA coalition was ruling in Balochistan, where such an incident had taken place. It held the government's wrong policies responsible for terrorism and sectarian disharmony.