KARACHI, July 8: The MPAs of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement have said the Jamaat-i-Islami was responsible for England team’s refusal to play a cricket match in Karachi, saying it was tarnishing Karachi’s image throughout the world. They pointed out that murders, terrorism and other crime incidents were taking place on a large scale in the provinces of Punjab, the NWFP and Balochistan, but the JI never uttered a single word except indulging in propaganda of a bad law and order situation in Karachi.

They said when an inquiry team of England had come to Karachi to asses the security situation for playing a match, the then city nazim, Niamatullah Khan, and the entire JI leadership started making propagandas about likely bloodshed in Karachi, giving the impression that Karachi was a dangerous city.

Owing to the propaganda, the England team had refused to play a match in Karachi.

The MPAs said it did not behove Mr Niamat and his party, who keep on making tall claims of beautifying and renovating Karachi, to indulge in making poisonous propaganda against Karachi throughout the world.

They added that it was not a Karachi-friendly act but an anti-Karachi one and was just to bring a bad name to the Sindh government.