May 18, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

LAHORE, May 17: Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmad has described the appointment of Salmaan Taseer as Punjab governor as “Pervez Musharraf’s attempt to remove the opponents of dictatorship”.

Talking to newsmen at the inauguration of the newly-built head office of Islamic Publications at Mansoora on Saturday, he said Taseer’s appointment had made it clear that Musharraf was still all-powerful and was making moves for determining the future course of politics.

He said he did not want to comment on the differences over restoration of judges and appointment of governor between the PPP and the PML-N because it was their internal matter. But it was a fact that no policy change had been observed after the formation of the PPP government at the federal level.

He said Pakistan had been made a colony of the US “which has given the licence to continue excesses against the people”. American planes were free to fly anywhere and fire missiles wherever they liked.

He said it was the national obligation of the democratic government to make it clear to the US that it (new setup) could not play the role of Musharraf as its frontline ally in war on terrorism.