ISLAMABAD April 21: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) has demanded that the government should expel the envoys of the European Union in protest against the ‘humiliation’ of Senator Maulana Samiul Haq in Brussels EU Parliament’s refusal to meet a Pakistani parliamentary delegation. The alliance also strongly condemned arrests and police violence in Lahore against PPP’s workers and demanded their release.
It expressed skepticism over the overtures of the PPP Parliamentarians of the government and asked the ARD to take notice of a breach of understanding reached between MMA leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed and ARD chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim at the residence of Raja Zafarul Haq.
The religious alliance has also criticized the attitude of Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, saying he had failed to fulfil his duty as custodian of the lower house by refusing to issue production orders of PML-N’s Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and MMA’s Hamiduddin.
The MMA reaffirmed its decision to continue its country-wide movement till the ouster of General Musharraf as both COAS and president, restoration of the sovereignty of parliament and 1973 constitution by working with all the democratic forces, including the ARD.
Speaking at a news conference in the Parliament House cafeteria, MMA deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch, deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and vice-president Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair asked the government to take immediate notice of what they called atrocities unleashed under the patronage of the Muttahida’s governor in Sindh against its opponents in Karachi.
Four women MNAs, Samia Raheel Qazi, Aisha Munawar, Bilquis Saif and Razia Aziz, expressed their determination not to be cowed down by intimidations.
The MMA leaders claimed that a new wave of state terrorism had been launched to punish Karachites for rejecting the party.
Speaking first, Liaquat Baloch termed PPP’s hobnobbing with the establishment and the army as unfortunate and demanded that all opposition parties should unite.
Mr Baloch claimed that the Muttahida, after losing ground and confidence of the people of Karachi, had revived torture cells which had been knocked down 7-8 years back. He alleged that the student wing of the Muttahida had kidnapped a young boy and tortured him to death.
He demanded that the Sindh administration should register cases and punish those responsible for the brutal act, provide protection to teachers and students, and restore peace in the city’s educational institutions.
The MMA leader also demanded immediate release of all those detained in Gujranwala protest rally led by MMA’s Qazi Hamiduddin and to withdraw cases registered against them.
Hafiz Hussain Ahmed accused President General Musharraf of breaching the privilege of parliament and the prime minister by handling all international issues, including Kashmir, bypassing the elected institutions.
He alleged that the army had taken parliament and the prime minister hostage as Gen Musharraf was representing the country on international forums, instead of the prime minister.
Hussain Ahmed strongly condemned a recent statement of the US forces commander for Afghanistan about an impending operation in tribal areas and asked the government to register its protest by summoning the US ambassador to the foreign office.
Referring to the maltreatment of MMA’s vice-president Maulana Samiul Haq in Brussels, Mr Ahmed said it was shameful that a parliamentarian had been insulted and demanded that the EU envoys should be expelled from the country to establish the esteem of parliament.
Commenting on Asif Zardari’s agenda of talks with the establishment and army, he said: “He better concentrate his energies on his mission instead of targeting the MMA.”
He expressed the hope that the democracy-loving group in the PPP was still strong to prevail upon a handful of ‘pragmatists’.
He said Asif Zardari’s new stand was a clear violation of the understanding that had been reached on three points between the ARD and the MMA.
