16 May 2004	Sunday	25 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, May 15: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Saturday renewed its demand for imposing a ban on Jamaat-i-Islami for its alleged involvement in terrorist activities.

Speaking at a news conference held at the party headquarter, Nine Zero, the man in charge of the MQM coordination committee, Mr Anwar Alam, who was accompanied by other members of the committee, accused the JI of being a party of 'religious extremist and terrorists,' which allegedly wanted to disintegrate the country.

He also accused the party of being involved in the Haideri mosque bomb explosion, demanding of the president and prime minister to impose a ban on the JI, which had opposed the demand for Pakistan.

Mr Anwar Alam paid tributes to the people of the city for making unsuccessful the JI strike call.

He was also critical of the religious parties in the MMA for creating secta-rian unrest and dissension among the masses.

While narrating the incidents of violence, allegedly committed by Jamaat activists on election day and during the subsequent strike, he warned the JI against pushing things to the extreme because that could have drastic consequences.

He accused the religious parties of exploiting Islam and not addressing the problems of the people.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement also flayed Jamaat-i-Islami's strike and accused the party of hatching a conspiracy by resorting to violence and converting Karachi into another Baghdad, Kabul and Tora Bora.

The coordination committee incharge claimed that the JI wanted to punish the people for its defeat in the by-elections and urged the government and law-enforcement agencies to take measures for the protection of the life and property of the people.

He was of the view that the mosque bomb blast was a reaction to the Wana operation.

He claimed that the purpose of the strike call was to destabilise the provincial and federal governments.

Claiming that the MQM had created a peaceful atmosphere and religious harmony in the city, but alleged that religious parties, especially the Jamaat-i-Islami was trying to disturb city's peace by promoting sectarian differences in order to get start another operation like that in 1992, so that they could occupy Karachi.

Mr Alam pointed out that after the formation of present provincial government, the law and order in the city was improving and the rising index of Karachi Stock Exchange, besides the successful holding of cricket matches between Pakistan and India were the proofs of this. But, he added that the religious extremists and their mentors did not like the flourishing of the economy and the happiness of the people of the city.

Provincial adviser on environment, Mr Faisal Gabol, also refuted charges of manipulating by-elections in PS-127 by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and claimed that the PPP had hatched a conspiracy to manipulate elections in view of the rising support for the message of Altaf Hussain in the rural areas of Sindh as well.

He said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement believed in the politics of ballot and not the turncoats.