ISLAMABAD: “Imran Khan is not capable of controlling one province, how will he control the whole country,”asked Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) central leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas on Sunday.

He was speaking at the Mehdi Bar Haq Conference, held at Parade Ground to mark Allama Arif Hussain al-Hussaini’s 29th death anniversary.

Participants also spoke out against the PML-N government and alleged that it appeared that the ruling party was preparing for a clash with the establishment.

Addressing the conference, Allama Nasir said extremists were armed during the rule of Gen Ziaul Haq.

“The Zia establishment weakened those who made Pakistan. Once, a war was being fought at the borders of the country, but now it has entered the country,” he said.

While discussing the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court, Mr Abbas said five judges issued a unanimous judgement after giving Mr Sharif a year to prove his innocence. “However, the PML-N has been trying to make a disqualified prime minister a hero.

“He will never become a hero, and we will resist those kinds of efforts. The report of the Model Town incident should be made public,” he said.

Another leader, Agha Raza, said that those who were against Pakistan have been ruling the country.

Allama Maqsood Ali said military courts were established to take action against terrorists, adding: “All those who have been attacking innocent people should be punished by military courts.”

Dr Rizwan Ali, member of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, said that although Allama Hussaini had been killed his mission could not be stopped.

“GB is full of resources, so the government should take advantage of those resources. Moreover, people from all areas of the country should be allowed to benefit from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,” he said.

MWM leader Iqtidar Naqvi claimed representatives of the Shia community were being arrested unlawfully and vowed to raise his voice for the community.

Allama Iqbal Beheshti said missing persons should be produced in court, adding that it was unfortunate that those who try to avoid terrorism are picked up by state agencies.

One of the conference participants, Zawar Hussain, told Dawn that although the majority of people in Pakistan believe in peace, there were some elements that were not ready to tolerate the country’s Shia community.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2017