August 20, 2007	Monday	Sha’aban 6, 1428

HYDERABAD, Aug 19: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has asked the country’s political and religious parties to to seriously consider measures to pull the country out of the present crisis.

Addressing the party workers’ meeting on phone from London on Sunday, he said the restive situation in the context of Afghanistan and northern parts of NWFP could only be resolved if all political parties sacrificed their partisan approach and came forward to pull the country out of the current crisis.

He said the country was facing crisis after crisis as he referred to the Lal Masjid issue and natural calamities in the shape of floods and rains.

“I want to tell all political and religious parties that Pakistan is going through a very critical phase. There is unrest on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the situation developing in northern parts of NWFP can be equated with war-like conditions”, he said.

On the other hand, he elaborated, we don’t enjoy good relations with Iran and India whereas the nature of relations with China has also changed and it was not the same that once used to be. And, relations with Russia were also not good because we have become an ally of US.

However, he said, the US and Europe don’t believe in our efforts with the result that there is an element of uncertainty in our relations with them. “In spite of such a grim situation people continue to talk about power, return of certain people to Pakistan and uniform of the President”, he said.

He said that people are discussing everything in the context of elections. That’s why, he said, he was making an impassioned appeal to all political as well as religious parties to come forward and consider the seriousness of the present situation so that country could be pulled out of the crisis. “At last elections will be held and uniform issue will be resolved but we must consider collectively and demonstrate unity and give a message to the world that no one can thrust its decision over us “, he said.

First of all, he said, he made MQM’s unconditional offer to initiate the process of thinking because everything is linked with the existence of country.

He spoke at length about relief and rescue activities launched by MQM in rain and flood-affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan which has no parallel and said that no other political parties’ workers were coming to the rescue of these flood victims.