January 29, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 19, 1429

HYDERABAD, Jan 28: The ameer of the Hyderabad chapter of Jamaat-i-Islami Shaikh Shoukat Ali has said the government’s proposal for reintroduction of ration card system speaks volumes for the failure of its economic policies.

He said at the meeting of party’s Majlis-i-Shura on Sunday that the government should ensure that all the essential items were sold in open market and discard the ration card proposal as it would open a new door of corruption.

Although Pakistan produced record wheat last year people had to stand in long queues to buy wheat flour mainly due to maladministration, corruption and commission system, he said.

He said that President Musharraf and his cronies had jeopardised the unity of Pakistan and the country was in the grip of political and economic crisis due to their wrong policies.

He said the constitution had been made subservient to one man’s desires, judiciary had been rendered ineffective and the Chief Justice of Pakistan and judges of superior judiciary had been removed and many had been detained.He said the media was under constant pressure and the tragic incidents of May 12 and Dec 27 proved that no one’s life and property was safe.

He said that the All-Parties Democratic Movement had taken the correct decision to boycott elections because free and impartial elections under President Musharraf were next to impossible.

JI leader demanded that an interim government of national consensus should be appointed, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry and other judges of superior judiciary should be reinstated and a fully autonomous election commission should be appointed to hold free, fair and transparent elections.

Protest: A group of students belonging to Meghwar community staged a demonstration outside the press club on Sunday in protest against torture of a teenaged domestic servant Kishore Meghwar at the hands of his employers.

Dr Kanwal, Dr Nihal, Dr Lekhraj and Gulab condemned the boy’s torture and appealed to human rights organisations to take notice of atrocities.

Kishore was tortured and wrongfully confined by his employer on charges of committing theft in the house in Happy Homes Qasimabad.

Police recovered the boy a couple of days ago and arrested his tormentors.