04 June 2004	Friday	15 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

HYDERABAD, June 3: The Jamaat-i-Islami on Thursday accused the Election Commission of performing a partisan role in the Karachi by-elections and it would produce "solid evidence" if a tribunal, comprising Supreme Court judges, was appointed to probe into poll malpractices.

This was said by secretary-general of the Sindh chapter of the Jamaat-i-Islami Rashid Naseem at a news conference here on Thursday. He claimed that the same people were involved in the Haideri mosque and Imam Bargah Ali Raza killings as well as in the murder of Mufti Shamzai and the killings of 12 innocent persons in the by-elections.

He was accompanied by leaders of the Hyderabad chapter of the Jamaat, including Shaikh Shoukat Ali, Dr Fawad Ahmed and Raheel Qureshi. Mr Naseem alleged that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had done nothing for the benefit of the people, despite having remained in power in Islamabad and Sindh four times - twice with the Muslim League government and twice with the PPP - adding that they had held complete sway over the civic bodies of both Karachi and Hyderabad.

He said that the people had now seen "the MQM's real face", adding that they (the people) were fed up of bloodshed, extortion and hooliganism and they had rejected the party (MQM) in the by- elections, compelling it to resort to rigging.

Before the elections, Mr Naseem said, the MQM had posted its "own" police officers and the same had been pointed out to the Election Commission authorities time and again, adding that no action had been taken in this regard.

Rejecting the Election Commission-appointed tribunal set up to probe into election malpractice, he said that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal would participate in the inquiry only if an election tribunal comprising Supreme Court Judges was appointed.

He questioned the logic of the MQM candidate obtaining 91,000 votes in by-election from the same area where the party's candidate had obtained 67,000 votes in the general elections, adding that the voters' turnout was very thin during the by-elections.

Describing the MQM as being a fascist party, the Jamaat leader said that it (the MQM) was responsible for the law and order situation in Karachi. He called for the dismissal of the Sindh governor and the advisor for home affairs, saying it was vital if the government was interested in dispensing justice besides demanding the appointment of the Supreme Court judge to probe into the election mal practices.

He also called for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators of the massacre in Imambargah Ali Raza, Haideri mosque, by-elections and the murderers of Mufti Shamzai. The Jamaat leaders also called for the arrest of government officials who were responsible for the supply of poisonous water to the people of Hyderabad.