KARACHI, Oct 15: Members of the Sindh Assembly belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement have accused activists of the Jamaat-i-Islami of being responsible for the rise in street crimes in Karachi, alleging that such activists are members of the JI’s ‘thunder squad’.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, the MQM legislators said that their party always stood for the rights of the poor and people of Karachi, over the years, had been expressing their confidence in the MQM in its struggle for the rule of the poor and middle class.

The fast growing popularity of the MQM in masses of Pakistan appeared to be a cause of unrest among JI leaders, who were now indulge in victimising the people of Karachi for supporting the MQM on the one side, and fomenting street crime on the other.

Besides, they added, the JI leaders were targeting the MQM and the Sindh government in their desperate attempt to defame the partners in the ruling coalition.

The MQM legislators advised the JI to stop worrying about maintenance of peace in Karachi, and, instead, pay attention to the law and order in the NWFP and Balochistan.

Observing that the law and order in the NWFP and Balochistan was worsening, they claimed that the life and property of citizens there were at stake as rocket attacks, bomb blasts and terrorist attacks had become a routine there.

Many innocent citizens, including an uncle of the NWFP chief minister, have already lost their lives, they said, alleging that Jamaat-i-Islami ministers and legislators in the two provinces were directly involved in the killings and terrorist attacks.

The MQM MPAs pointed out that armed terrorists killed six persons, including a Pesh Imam, while the victims were offering prayers in Khuzdar in a fresh incident on Saturday, but the JI continued to turn a blind eye towards the law and order in that province.