KARACHI: Fazl terms May 12 events a pre-planned plot
By A Reporter
KARACHI, May 23: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also General Secretary of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), has said that the MMA is ready to reconstitute the ruling coalition in Balochistan to take along the opposition parties, but this may pave the way for the imposition of governor’s rule in that province.
Gen Musharraf would impose governor’s rule once such an attempt was made, he apprehended, adding that in such a case, everyone would hold religious parties responsible for this development.
Addressing lawyers at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall here on Wednesday, he said Gen Musharraf had deceived MMA on the question of shedding his uniform.
“There were two articles in the 17th amendment draft which were not explained to the MMA leadership at the time of briefings on the issue… these articles were applied after the amendment was adopted,” he claimed.
He said Gen Musharraf was now morally bound to make a public apology for not fulfilling his promise.
The Maulana termed the May 12 events ‘a pre-planned conspiracy’, and pointed out that the opposition in the National Assembly had on May 10 raised the issue of possible violence but the government appeared not ready to take notice of the parallel rallies.
He said Gen Musharraf’s act of suspending the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, was illegal and unconstitutional. He also said that the CJ’s visit to the lawyers’ bars in different provinces was his basic right and nobody could object to it.
Accusing the government of committing blatant violations of human rights, he said it was MMA that forced it to stop the military operation in Balochistan and change its foreign and education policies.
The MMA leader said Maulvis were being branded ‘terrorists’ only because they were resisting the US nefarious designs against Muslims. He said the US was struggling to take away the Arab states’ oil wealth, Afghanistan’s natural resources and the natural deposits of the South Asian states. He said the Muslim world and Asian states should remain alert as the US was pursuing this agenda chalked out by the Zionist forces.
“While branding its opponents terrorists, the US appreciates supporters of its agenda as enlightened people,” he remarked.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman also criticised judiciary’s role in the past when it helped military rulers to prolong their dictatorships under the so-called ‘doctrine of necessity’, and said: “Had the judiciary played its due role, the military dictators would have dared to keep the country under their rule for long periods.”
Earlier, President of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) Iftikhar Javed Qazi and General Secretary Naeem Qureshi, speaking on the occasion, sought an apology from the MMA for supporting the 17th Amendment. Maulana Fazlur Rehman replied, “I am a politician and have command on my subject. We had supported the 17th Amendment with a view to block the way of Martial Law.”
MMA leaders Qari Gul Rehman and Allama Jalil Naqvi also spoke on the occasion.
KARACHI, May 23: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also General Secretary of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), has said that the MMA is ready to reconstitute the ruling coalition in Balochistan to take along the opposition parties, but this may pave the way for the imposition of governor’s rule in that province.
