26 January 2005	Wednesday	15 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jan 25: Leader of the Opposition in Senate Mian Raza Rabbani on Tuesday condemned, what he termed, harassment and maltreatment of Dr Asad Moazzam, a member of the Punjab Assembly belonging to the People's Party Parliamentarians.

The opposition leader, in a statement, said "The PML government is following an agenda of political victimization in which the voice of political opposition is being crushed by the use of state apparatus."

He said the "cloak and dagger style" adopted during a raid on the house of Dr Moazzam was typical of a police state. The police officials, who acted as party workers of the ruling party, must be suspended immediately and a judicial inquiry by a judge of the high court be ordered, he added.

Mr Rabbani said the government in the province of Sindh had on the basis of political motivation created new districts and dismissed without lawful authority four PPP nazims. This has been done to further curtail the political space for the opposition, he added.

He said the government was also considering bifurcating Hyderabad to carve out another district to achieve its narrow political ends. This act of the government is condemned and the PPP will take appropriate action under the law, he added.

The government, he said, continued to target the opposition, curtail its political space and deny it legitimate political role. "Be it known to the rulers that no matter what it does the Opposition will not be deterred.

The opposition will continue to conduct accountability of the rulers inside and outside the parliament." The PPP leader said our struggle for restoration of the Constitution, supremacy of the parliament and against the 17th Amendment would continue till victory.