KARACHI, June 26: The Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Ijazul Haq, has expressed fears that acts of terrorism might escalate in run-up to the local bodies’ elections in Karachi.

Replying to queries about the law and order situation in the city and the forthcoming local bodies’ elections, the minister said that in view of the recent acts of terrorism that had taken place in Karachi, it seemed such acts would escalate as polls come near.

Mr Haq was talking to journalists on Sunday at the Jamia Binnoria in SITE where he had come to express condolence over the killing of Mufti Attiq-ur-Rehman and Maulana Irshad.

To another question, he said it was up to the federal government to decide whether to call the army or not for the local bodies’ elections in the city.

The minister declined to comment on the performance of the Sindh government when asked, saying it was not under his purview to say anything about the provincial government.

However, he said that such questions had been raised in the National Assembly, and a debate followed in which the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had stressed that a code of conduct be formulated for political parties.

To a question by the elder brother of slain Mufti Attiq-ur-Rehman as to why none of the terrorists involved in the killings of any religious scholar had been arrested been yet, Mr Haq said he would inquire the federal interior minister over the issue on his return to Islamabad.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference at the Jamia Binnoria, the federal minister said that a chain of terrorist acts had taken place in Karachi suggesting that a conspiracy was hatched to turn brother against brother and mosque against mosque.

He ruled out any sectarian conflict in the country, saying sectarianism was not an issue.

The minister said the government had foiled a major terrorist attack during last Muharram, when security forces seized some heavily armed terrorists prior to a Muharram procession.

In its efforts to root out such elements and ensure tranquillity among different schools of thought, the provincial governments had been instructed by the centre to seize whatever hate literature was being used to exploit peoples’ sentiments.

He also handed over a cheque of Rs20.092 million to Provincial Minister Manzoor Panhwar as compensation for the victims of various incidents of terrorism, which had occurred at various madaris or places of worship.

The Nazim-i-Ala of Wafaqul Madaris, Maulana Qari Hanif, called for setting up of an independent judicial commission to investigate the killing of Maulana Attiq-ur-Rehman and Maulana Irshad, and last year’s bombing near the Jamia Binnoria.