June 26, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 10, 1428

ISLAMABAD, June 25: The Qaumi Rabita Committee (QRC), which comprises opposition parties, execpt the Pakistan People’s Party, has decided to move the Supreme Court to seek a judicial probe into the May 12 killings.

The decision was taken at a meeting held at the residence of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) President Qazi Hussain Ahmed here on Monday.

Besides Qazi Hussain, the meeting was attended by PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan, Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party head Mehmood Khan Achakzai, ANP leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Liaqat Baloch and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Qari Fayyazur Rahman.

MMA Secretary-General Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who is also a member of the QRC, could not attend the meeting due to his engagements in Hyderabad.

The committee had been formed at a meeting of the Qaumi Majlis-i-Mushawirat (National Consultative Conference) convened by the MMA president last month to discuss day-to-day political issues and to chalk out a joint strategy to tackle political issues.

The QRC observed that because neither the Sindh government nor the centre had taken any step to unveil the conspiracy behind the May 12 killings it had become imperative to move the apex court to seek justice.

Talking to Dawn after the meeting, Liaqat Baloch said that the QRC had agreed that the multi-party conference (MPC) to be held in London should take a tough stance against the military dictatorship otherwise the nation will not forgive the political leadership for indirectly strengthening the hands of Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

It was also decided that any attempt by Gen. Musharraf to get himself re-elected as president without doffing the uniform would be resisted with full force.

The meeting strongly condemned the Nato air strikes and ground attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas in which scores of innocent people have been killed.

It appreciated the lawyers’ movement for the independence of judiciary and termed the unprecedented welcome accorded to the chief justice during his caravans as a show of people’s anger against the government.

The QRC regretted that while the incidents of target killing were rampant in Karachi, the conspiracies behind the Nishtar Park tragedy and the May 12 killings remained shrouded in mystery.

It also reviewed the aftermath of the havoc wrecked by recent windstorm and rains in Karachi and blamed the city government for not providing relief to the affected people.