May 15, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 27, 1428

ISLAMABAD May 14: People have reacted strongly against the bloodshed in Karachi with a successful countrywide strike on the call of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, paving the way for a forceful movement to oust the government, according to ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

He was talking to newsmen at the Parliament House here on Monday.

Makhdoom Fahim termed strange the move to give paramilitary forces power to kill and said the same police and Rangers had done nothing to avert the bloodshed.

Mr Fahim said it was possible to review the Charter of Democracy to cope with the changing political situation.

Rejecting the possibility of imposition of martial law or taking over of power by a new general to resolve the current political mess, he said that only a genuinely-elected government could solve problems, adding that no other solution would be acceptable.

Dismissing media reports of a deal with the government, he said he had been consistently telling people that from time to time, the government had been making contacts but speculations about a possible deal were mere disinformation to divide the opposition.

He did not rule out the boycott of elections if there were apprehensions of rigging.

He said there was so much lawlessness in Sindh that orders of the Sindh High Court to clear the route of the Supreme Court Chief Justice’s convoy were not obeyed and even the corps commander ‘declined’ to oblige the SHC when he was asked to come to the rescue of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who was virtually made a hostage at Karachi airport.

The PPP Parliamentarians chief accused the MQM of unleashing a reign of terror to stop the CJ from reaching the SHC Bar, and said that no disturbance had occurred during his visits to Peshawar, Sukkur, Hyderabad and Lahore.

When asked why were opposition parties not deciding to resign from assemblies after the Karachi killings, Makhdoom Fahim said: “All options will be considered at an appropriate time.”