May 19, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 02, 1428

ISLAMABAD May 18: The combined opposition in Senate on Friday observed a token hunger strike in protest against the May 12 killings in Karachi and to express resentment over President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s support for the party responsible for the mayhem.

Opposition lawmakers said that all opposition parties were united on the one-point agenda to get rid of the Musharraf regime and form an interim government of national consensus which should hold free and fair general election under an independent election commission set up in consultation with opposition leaders.

Prominent among those who observed the hunger strike were Leader of Opposition Raza Rabbani, Pakistan Muslim League-N parliamentary leader Ishaq Dar, Prof Ibrahim and Dr Khalid Soomro of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Abdur Rahim Mandokhel of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Shahid Bugti of the Jamhoori Watan Party, Prof Sajid Mir of the Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadis and former senator and Balochistan National Party president Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch.

They raised slogans of “Go Musharraf go”, “lathi goli ki sarkar, nahin chalay gee” and “Musharraf-Altaf bhai bhai, Karachi teri shaamat aayi”.

Mr Rabbani said they were holding the protest outside the Parliament House because people were fed up with speeches of the leaders inside the house, which had no significance in the eyes of the rulers.

He said the government’s move to adjourn the upper house for such a long time was aimed at depriving the opposition of the right to requisition a session before the budget.