ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: The combined opposition on Thursday declined to join a proposed parliamentary delegation to be sent to Brussels for talks with European parliamentarians on blasphemous cartoons.
The opposition says the rulers were non-serious and incompetent to represent national sentiments.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman told reporters after a joint meeting that they would rather continue protests against the cartoons published depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“We reject the proposal to send a delegation to Brussels, as the government has lost confidence after arresting, firing tear-gas and beating protesters during anti-cartoon protests in the country,” Maulana Fazlur Rehman said.
He said the opposition would continue nationwide protests against cartoons and the government as well for arresting a large number of people, including parliamentarians.
No government minister had attended the silent march organised jointly by the government and opposition in Islamabad on Feb 14, he said, adding that even Religious Affairs Minister Ijazul Haq, who is to lead the delegation to Brussels, had not bothered to join that protest.
He said President Pervez Musharraf had not uttered a single word to denounce the blasphemous caricatures, when he had recently visited Norway.
Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said National Assembly Secretary Ziaul Haq had informed him that no parliamentary delegation was going to Brussels, as he had not received any directive in this regard, adding that the opposition thought it would be a “government delegation” rather than a parliamentary delegation.
PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said it was strange that on the one hand the government was not allowing people to hold protests and arresting opposition members while on the other it wanted to take opposition members to Brussels.
