13 June 2004	Sunday	24 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

KARACHI, June 12: Chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Altaf Hussain has described the recent attack on corps commander in Karachi as 'revolt' and pointed the finger at those who were calling the shots.

Speaking telephonically on the 26th founding day of the All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organization (APMSO) Mr Hussain told Gen Pervez Musharraf and the ISI chief Gen Ehsan that if they would look within their fold they would find that "agencies within the agencies were operating."

He said that the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, in league with some of the fifth columnists, was out to foment trouble, and advised President Musharraf, Prime Minister Jamali and General Ehsan to keep a close vigil on it.

He warned that if any harm was caused to the country due to the ongoing spate of terrorism, those at the helm of the affairs would be held responsible.

Altaf Hussain apprehended yet another operation, like one on June 19, 1992, against his party and directed the cadre to devise strategies to guard against that.

"My own party workers should prepare themselves for yet another operation against them and take precautions right from now," he said mincing no words about that.

But Mr Hussain did not explain why could such an operation be in the offing when the MQM was an important coalition partner in Sindh and at the Centre.

Slamming the role of religious parties, he said that they had once justified the war against Soviet Union in Afghanistan and had also termed it 'jihad' for which they had been rewarded with huge payments in dollar.

Criticizing Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Maulana Samiul Haq strongly, the MQM chief said they had been switching sides. They were with Ziaul Haq, then they joined hands with Benazir Bhutto and then with Mian Nawaz Sharif. He also criticized Maulana Fazlur Rahman for, as he put it, enjoying perks equivalent to a federal minister after being notified as leader of the opposition.

Mr Hussain recalled that religious parties, especially Jamaat-i-Islami, had justified its support to the United States against Soviet Union by describing the former as people of the book. "If Americans are people of the book, then so were the Jews?" he contended.

He alleged that the religious parties had been collecting donations in the name Kashmir and Afghan jihad and swallowed the money. "These mullahs have plunged many innocent people into the death trap in the name of jihad," he added.

Calling on the party workers to maintain unity, he cautioned them not to trust in these mullahs "even if the mullahs came to them with Quran on their heads."

He claimed that these pseudo-religious leaders who, according to him, were the descendants of Abdullah Bin Ubai of Masjid-i-Zarrar, believed in death and destruction and their activities were against the preachings of the holy Prophet (PBUH).

The MQM chief alleged that jihadi organization were taking advantage of election fever in the US and UK and had already intensified their activities. Explosions in mosques and Imambargahs and assassination of religious scholar Mufti Shamzai, as well as the cowardly attack on corps commander Karachi are all pointer to their nefarious deigns, he added.

These elements with the support of the people in the Establishment were out to destabilize the government, and had dumped truckloads of arms and ammunition in Karachi to play havoc with the life and property of citizens. Their designs had been foiled, but new plans were in the offing, he claimed.

Mr Hussain claimed that those demanding imposition of governor's rule or giving Karachi in army's control were the same people who had maintained discreet silence over the martyrdom of six army men in Karachi last Thursday.

"How is it that those opposing the military operation in Wana have refused to condemn the attack on the crops commander?" he asked.

He wanted to know that why had the nationwide strike called by Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maulana Samiul Haq was not observed in the NWFP and Balochistan, where the MMA is in partial or full control of the state apparatus.