02 January 2005	Sunday	20 Ziqa'ad 1425

KARACHI, Jan 1: The founding leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, on Saturday asked the government to acquire latest technology for advance warning of tsunami threats in the coastal areas of the country.

He said this while addressing a general workers meeting via telephone from London, which was also relayed to 14 other cities of the province.

Mr Hussain also urged opposition parties to shun their protest movement and play their role in helping the victims of the tsunami tragedy.

He also appealed to philanthropists to provide financial help in this regard. He declared that the MQM would help the stricken countries and send a team of doctors there to help in their hour of grief.

He said that the tsunami tragedy was one of the biggest in human history in which some 150,000 people lost their lives. He said that people of the world also extended financial support to the affected countries, with the UK inhabitants contributing a huge amount.

Mr Hussain said that the Muttahida was also helping the stricken countries and on Friday the Muttahida leaders visited their embassies in the UK and donated 50,000 pounds. He said that the US and Canada units of the Muttahida would also donate $15,000 each for the tsunami victims.

In Pakistan, he said, the Coordination Committee would soon evolve a strategy to collect relief goods and donations to help the people of South Asian countries where tsunami occurred.

Mr Hussain said that he would address another general workers meeting next week to discuss the situation about the forthcoming local bodies elections.

Deputy Convenor of Muttahida's Coordination Committee Dr Farooq Sattar, Anwar Alam, Abdul Haseeb, other members of Coordination Committee, parliamentarians, ministers and advisers also attended the programme.