July 10, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 6, 1429

KARACHI, July 9: Deputy chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami Prof Ghafoor Ahmad has announced that the party would observe a day of protest on Friday over Monday’s serial bomb blasts in the city.

Addressing a press conference at the Idara Noor-i-Haq on Wednesday, he said that the serial blasts were aimed at triggering ethnic riots in Karachi. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement alleged that the Taliban and trucks loaded with weapons had arrived in the city, he said, while rejecting all such statements as mere propaganda. He asked if Monday’s blasts were planned against the Taliban or an attempt to trigger ethnic riots in Karachi.

He said there were serial blasts in the city soon after the visit of President Pervez Musharraf, who broke his months long silence and became active following his meeting with US Deputy Secretary Richard Boucher.

Prof Ahmad regretted that the Pakistan People’s Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party, despite sitting in the coalition government in Sindh, did not enjoy harmony. Instead of serving the masses the rulers were issuing statements against each other, he said, while referring to a statement recently made by the nazim against the PPP.

He observed that the Muttahida, even in its present position, was the supporter of a dictator rather than extending due cooperation to the PPP.

He said the Zardari government did not consider General Musharraf as the constitutional president, while on the contrary PPP leaders Ahmad Mukhtar, Salman Taseer and Rehman Malik described him as a pillar of the country.

Lawyers’ movement

He said it was high time that the lawyers’ movement that had full backing of the masses should be reactivated not only for the restoration of the independent judiciary, but also for the country’s survival to thwart the nefarious designs of conspirators.

Prof Ahmad said the JI and other components of the All-Parties Democratic Movement had boycotted the polls but accepted outcome of the elections by announcing its cooperation to the government as the country could not afford anarchy. After the Feb 18 polls, he said, foreign powers conspiring against the country became active just the way they did following the 1970 general elections.

Senior Vice-President of the National Workers’ Party Yusuf Masti Khan said that the western media had diverted their direction towards Pakistan, openly saying that the western powers had no fear from Afghanistan or Iraq but the real threat was from Pakistan.

Acting president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Sindh chapter, Saleem Zia said that the blasts were a conspiracy to destabilise the new political set-up.