KARACHI: MMA asks govt to stop crackdown, propaganda
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 1: Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmad, a central leader of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) has said that despite crackdown, propaganda and all provocative measures, the strike on Saturday will prove complete and peaceful throughout the country.
Prof Ghafoor, also Naib Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami, was addressing an emergency press conference at the Idara Noor-i-Haq here on Friday along with Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, Hashim Siddiqui, Birjees Ahmad, Aslam Ghori, Abdul Sattar Afghani and other MMA leaders.
He claimed that police and other law-enforcement agencies were conducting raids and arresting MMA leaders and workers in large numbers. Criticizing the crackdown, he said it appeared that it was the government which wanted to create a law and order situation. Like the recent million march, the strike would also remain peaceful, he said.
Describing the raids and crackdown as ‘uncalled for’, Prof Ghafoor alleged the JI office, Idara Noor-i-Haq, was also subjected to swoops on Thursday night whereas the house of the JI city chief, Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqi, had been surrounded by the agencies personnel since that night.
He said that in their first swoop on the JI office, police picked up all those present there. They included Mohammad Aslam Mujahid, Kamal Ahmad Farooqui, Mohammad Iqbal Ahmad, Kaleemur Rehman, Shahid Ali and Asghar Ahmad.
Later, at about 1am, police again raided the offices by scaling it boundary walls and took away the party’s records and files. They also caused damage to office equipment, he added.
“About 2,000 MMA leaders and activists have already been arrested,” he claimed, adding: “After creating tension in the city, the city police chief invited MMA legislators to talks. However, when they went to meet him, they were arrested and shifted to some unknown place.”
Condemning the government’s action, he said it seemed as if there was ‘governor’s rule’ on the province. The Sindh transport minister was openly expressing his intentions to order shooting those who had given the strike call, he deplored while referring to the minister’s reported remarks during the latter’s meeting with a delegation of transporters at the Governor’s House.
“Today, the Sindh governor is issuing statements against strike. He seemed to have forgotten the days when those who dared to open their shops during (his party’s) strikes had to face bullets while dozens of vehicles had been torched in a day,” the MMA leader said.
He reminded the government that observing a peaceful strike against soaring prices, unemployment and increasing poverty was the constitutional and democratic right of citizens. He condemned the government for resorting to illegal, unconstitutional and unfair means to fail the strike.
Demanding immediate release of all MMA leaders and activists, Prof Ghafoor urged the government to put a halt to propaganda against the peaceful strike and let the citizens exercise their right to protest against inept policies which had been adding to their miseries.
