09 May 2004	Sunday	18 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, May 8: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has criticized the CM's adviser on home affairs for implicating religious parties in Friday's bomb blast in a mosque in Karachi , and claimed that the attempt to dub it as suicide bombing was aimed at misleading investigators.

Speaking at a news conference here on Saturday, the MMA's Sindh chief, Maulana Asadullah Bhutto, and other leaders, Dr Khalid Mahmood Soomro, Allama Hassan Turabi, Mohammad Hashim Siddiqui and Maulana Mohammad Afzal Sardar demanded that in view of the volatile law and order situation, the constituencies where by-elections were being held on May 12 should be handed over to the armed forces. They said that a serious notice should be taken of the strong arm tactics resorted to by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

They said that MMA leaders had met the Sindh chief secretary and urged him to ensure strict compliance with the orders of the chief election commissioner for ensuring that elections were held in a free, fair and transparent manner.

The leaders claimed that the manner in which the MQM was harassing its rival candidates their supporters indicated weakness on the part of the party. They alleged that the governor was obstructing implementation of the chief election commissioner's order.

They stressed that the governor should not have anything to do with the elections.

The MMA leaders maintained that the home adviser's claim, that the Friday's bomb blast was suicide bombing, was aimed at misleading the investigators. They also vowed to foil any attempt to spark off sectarian clashes.

They demanded resignation of the adviser for failing to protect life and property of people.

The MMA leaders also demanded arrest of the culprits and called for imposing a ban on ethnic parties.

They were of the view that the Haidery mosque blast was the handiwork of American agents who wanted to destroy peace here.