KARACHI, Oct 5: Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, Naib Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami and a central leader of MMA, on Wednesday alleged that police in connivance with MQM activists were terrorizing and abducting UC nazims and councillors in the city to force them to change their loyalties.
Addressing a news conference at the JI office, Idara Noor-i-Haq, he said that the practice was aimed at compelling them to cast their vote in favour of the MQM panel in the LB poll, being held on Thursday.
He urged police to refuse to obey such illegal orders. “I also ask the MQM to refrain from indulging in such tactics as police and administration may be used against its own activists and supporters in a similar fashion in the future,” he added.
Those present on the occasion included PPP city chief Rashid Rabbani and MPA Rafique Engineer; Amir of JI Karachi Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui and MPA Nasarullah Shaji, ANP leader Amin Khattak and JUI leader Maulana Khan Mohammad Rabbani.
Describing the entire process of the LB poll as ‘a fraud and conspiracy’, Prof Ghafoor alleged that President Musharraf and the federal government were directly involved in the affair. He also accused the chief election commissioner of being incompetent.
“Whole Karachi, even the whole country, knows that the former city nazim, Niamatullah Khan is an honest gentleman who has strived hard to bring Karachi’s glories back over the four years of his tenure,” he said.
Prof. Ghafoor claimed that police were not sparing even women councillors who were being abducted in pre-dawn raids on their houses.
In reply to a question, he said police had unleashed a reign of terror in Gadap, Site, Keamari, Bin Qasim, Gulshan and Jamshed towns.
Rashid Rabbani, Nasarullah Shaji, Maulana Khan Mohammad Rabbani and Amin Khattak also spoke on the occasion.—PPI
