October 20, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 7, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: Opposition parties, civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists condemned the terrorist attack on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s caravan in Karachi and held the government responsible for the carnage.

Condemning the act of terror, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi on Friday demanded thorough inquiry into the incident by a three-member Supreme Court panel.

Speaking at a news conference, Mr Hashmi accused President Musharraf and his government for allegedly masterminding the bomb blasts to maintain status quo and to sabotage the democratic process in Pakistan.

The PML-N leader invited the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson to rejoin the mainstream opposition on one-point agenda for restoration of democracy instead of helping the military dictator.

He said all the democratic forces should join hands with the APDM and ARD in the ongoing democratic struggle. The struggle for democracy will continue till achieving the objective.

PPP: Col (retd) Shabir Ahmad Awan, general- secretary PPP Rawalpindi, condemned the bomb blasts and said that it was inhuman and against the teachings of Islam. Such negative tactics could not let down the enthusiasm of the PPP workers and leaders.

PRM: The People’s Rights Movement (PRM) has slammed the government for ‘completely failing’ to meet its basic responsibility of protecting the citizens in Karachi during the PPP procession. It said that under no circumstances can the government be excused for the lapse in security, which has claimed over 130 lives.

PRM’s Alia Amirali dismissed the interior minister’s statement that there was no real defence against suicide bombing as a convenient excuse for sinister happenings within the state. The junta’s policies have left Pakistanis more vulnerable to random acts of violence than ever before, she accused.

RIUJ: The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) has expressed grave concern over the Karachi bomb blasts and the death of a private TV channel cameraman Arif Khan.

In their joint statement, President RIUJ Mohammad Afzal Butt, Senior Vice President Sheharyar Khan and General-Secretary Ashfaq Sajid demanded of the government to make special security arrangements for those journalists who go for the coverage of such sensitive events.

The RIUJ would soon arrange workshops on “methods of safe reporting in emergency or public gatherings” for the working journalists, they said and expressed sorrow over the loss of innocent lives in the Karachi bomb blast.

GUJAR KHAN: Political activists condemned the attack on the PPP caravan and termed it an attack on the democratic forces of the country.

Maqsood Qureshi, Mirza Abdul Rehman and other local leaders of the party said that it was an act of cowardice and the voice of the people of Pakistan could not be suppressed in this way. Members of the Potohar Press Club also expressed grief over the death of a TV cameraman and other victims.