12 December 2004	Sunday	29 Shawwal 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

NAWABSHAH, Dec 11: Sindh Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal president MNA Maulana Asadullah Bhutto has said the alliance will not negotiate on the issue of uniform with President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

He told a press conference here on Friday that the MMA was against the role of army in politics. The responsibility of the army was to protect geographical boundaries of the country, he added.

Maulana Bhutto said Gen Musharraf was bound to leave the army post under section 63 (B-1) of the Constitution by Dec 31. He said the president should honour his promise otherwise, his uniform would be removed through public power. He said the uniform was a risk for democracy.

Answering a question, he said the MMA and the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy had the same stance on the uniform issue and they were moving together.

He deplored the deteriorating law and order situation in Sindh and criticized the government for failing to ensure recovery of two judges, kidnapped in Shikarpur. He demanded that the Sindh governor and the chief minister should resign from their posts.

The MMA leader criticized Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain for his recent statements and alleged that he was working against national interests.

MNA Abdul Sattar Afghani, Hamidullah Khan, Meerajul Hudda, Mumtaz Hussain Sehto and Suroor Ahmad Qureshi were also present on the occasion.

Later, MNA Bhutto addressed a public gathering at the APWA club.

LAWYER PROTEST: Protest processions were taken out and a hunger strike was observed here on Saturday against the kidnapping of two judges in Shikarpur.

Members of the Nawabshah District Council boycotted a session of the council and took out a procession.

Led by Rajab Ali Lund, Riaz Zardari, Ghulam Mustafa Soomro and Zaibunnisa Qumbho, the procession started from the district council hall and culminated at the local press club.

Carrying placards and banners, the protesters raised slogans against the Sindh government. They also staged a sit-in on the press club road.

They condemned the kidnapping of the judges and demanded that the Sindh government should be dismissed because it had failed to control the law and order situation.

They demanded immediate recovery of the judges.

The District Bar Association, Nawabshah, also took out a procession after boycotting court proceedings against non-recovery of the judges.

The procession, led by Bar association president Qazi Mohammad Saleh, general-secretary Rahim Bux Jamali and others, terminated outside the press club.

Speaking on the occasion, the lawyers said they would continue the boycott of court proceedings on Monday if the judges were not recovered.

Members of different unions and NGOs of the city observed a token hunger strike against the kidnapping of the judges and demanded their early recovery.