March 17, 2007	Saturday	Safar 27, 1428

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QUETTA, March 16: A joint public meeting of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and PML-N on Friday cautioned the government that the use of brute force was dangerous for the country’s unity.

Speakers condemned police action against leaders of opposition parties, lawyers, media people, especially the targeting of a private TV channel’s office, and general public in Islamabad and Lahore.

A resolution adopted at the meeting said that violence on the part of the government could not suppress the political movement launched by lawyers, political parties against the action taken against Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

The resolution urged the government to stop harrassing lawyers, political activists and journalists. It also called for withdrawal of the presidential reference.

MNA Maulana Noor Mohammad, provincial leader of the JUI-F, presided over the meeting at Meezan Chowk.

Those who addressed the gathering included Ayaz Swati of the PML (Nawaz), Zahid Akhtar of the Jammat-i-Islami, Haji Ali Muhammad of the Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith and former senator Hafiz Fazal Muhammad, Maulana Qadir Luni and Naveed Agha.

Another resolution condemned raids on seminaries and arrests of political activists and students and called for releasing all detainees. It also urged the governemnt to recover missing people.

Stressing the need for cohesion, the speakers emphasised upon political parties to keep aside their ideological differences and forge unity to wage a joint struggle against dictatorship.

They warned that the continuation of the Musharraf-led government would jeopardise the country’s integrity.

Earlier, protesters took out a procession from Jamia Mosque after the Friday prayers.