TAXILA: Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) General Secretary Liaquat Baloch on Wednesday urged judiciary and Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure free and fair elections.

He was of the view that the revival of MMA would guarantee national security.

He expressed the hope that the decision of religious parties to contest election from one platform would prove the beginning of a change in the country.

Responding to a question, he said that the MMA would finalise candidates for the elections in next couple of days.

He was confident that MMA would perform well in the next elections and would bag maximum number of seats. He said that MMA is organising Quran conferences and Iftar parties during Ramazan and after Eid, alliance would hold rallies in Peshawar, Karachi, Quetta and other major cities to mobilise people. Besides, a train march to Karachi would also be organized, he said.

He urged the establishment to give up its policy of pressurising people into changing political loyalties ahead of general elections.

“As general elections are around the corner, our establishment is forcing people to change loyalties and join a specific political party,” he said.

He said that such tactics did not serve national interest.

He said the people who had destroyed state institutions and plundered public money and transferred ill-gotten wealth to foreign lands had again been successful in securing parties’ tickets.

Earlier addressing to the party workers, Mr Baloch said those who came to power after 2000 and 2013 elections had created numerous problems for the country.

He condemned brutalities of Israeli forces against Palestinians in West Bank and killing of 60 protesters in the firing.

He also blasted US President Trump for opening embassy in Jerusalem. Islamic Tehreek central leader Allama Arif Hussain Wahidi, MMA district president Shamsur Rehman Swati and former MPA Prof Waqas Khan also spoke on this occasion.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2018