February 20, 2006	Monday	Muharram 21, 1427

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RAWALPINDI, Feb 19: A leading figure of Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal (MMA) announced here on Sunday that the protests over the blasphemous caricatures would be turned into a campaign against President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Syed Munawwar Hassan, general secretary of Jamaat-i-Islami, told a press conference after the protest called by the MMA in Islamabad for the day was marred by violence that the protests would be continued “till Gen Musharraf falls”.

“We would keep on holding demonstrations at Islamabad in order to show to the people how unwilling is the government to condemn the sacrilegious act,” he said.

Protesters would be assembled in Rawalpindi for holding more demonstrations in Islamabad, the MMA leader said, adding that the government created unrest by not condemning the caricatures and by failing “to provide security to the people”.

After he left the press conference, the Jamaat leader was detained by police, like several other opposition leaders.

At least two other opposition politicians also think the outbursts against the reprehensible cartoons reflect deeper malaise.

Former National Assembly speaker Fakhar Imam and his wife Syeda Abida Hussain told newsmen at the scene of Sunday’s violence-marred demonstration in Islamabad that the protests provided the masses an opportunity to vent their pent-up feelings.

“People are frustrated. They have to buy sugar at Rs45 per kilogramme.

There is no democracy in the country - only a one-man show,” said Abida Hussain.

It was the government which started the anti-cartoon protests first, she asserted. Later it encouraged the protests “to delay US President George Bush’s visit to Pakistan because reports said he would demand that nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadir Khan be handed to the US government”.

But it seemed things were going out of the government’s control, she added.

Her husband, Mr Fakhar Imam, said US interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan and the recent US attack on Bajaur also angered the masses.

“I think people are using the platform of Namoos-i-Risalat (Honour of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) to show their anti-government feelings because they feel they have been kept out of the process of policy-making,” he said.

On the other hand, Punjab’s Law Minister Raja Basharat charged that the opposition parties had no sympathy for Namoos-i- Risalat and were only trying to gain political mileage out of the anti-cartoon protests.

“Sentiments of all of us, as Muslims, have been hurt by the mischievous act of certain European newspapers but the way the opposition parties are trying to benefit from the situation is highly unfortunate,” he told Dawn.

“They are trying to use the protests to organize anti- government movement,” the minister said, calling for “keeping Namoos-i-Risalat above all politics and individual interests”.

As such, he said, the government was right in responding to the situation by putting restrictions on holding rallies and protest demonstrations.

“We are determined to establish the writ of law,” he declared.

Mr Basharat contended that the people appreciated the precautionary measures taken by the Punjab government following the violent protests in Lahore.