PESHAWAR, Sept 2: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) president Qazi Hussain Ahmad called for a countrywide movement to topple the government after leading a protest rally from the Mohabbat Khan Mosque here following Friday prayers.

“Enough is enough. The time has come to rid the nation of the unconstitutional government of Gen Pervez Musharraf,” Qazi said, while speaking at the rally at the Chowk Yadgar.

He and other leaders of his party led a small group of protesters who chanted slogans against Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri for holding a meeting with his Israeli counterpart in Istanbul.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) and other component parties of the MMA were conspicuous from their absence in the procession.

The protesters were carrying a banner which read: “We reject the Kasuri-Shalom meeting. And we will not allow the government to recognize Israel”.

Qazi Hussain said the meeting between the two foreign ministers was a clear indication that Gen Musharraf was willing to recognize the Jewish state and its illegal occupation on Jerusalem and other Palestinian territories.

“We will not accept recognition of Israel at all and it is our religious responsibility to end the Jewish occupation from Jerusalem,” he said.

He termed the Kasuri-Shalom meeting a compromise on the ideology of Pakistan.

He said that the Israeli government had invited every head of state and government, including late Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan, but they turned down their offer.

He said that the government did not take the Parliament into confidence before the Istanbul meeting.

He added that it was imperative to remove the unconstitutional government of Gen Musharraf and urged the participants of the rally to prepare themselves for sacrifices.

“Make preparations for a sacrifice and you people will soon get a call,” Qazi said, adding that the government had started a campaign against seminaries, banned religious organizations and removed Jihad-related material from the syllabus.

He said that Muslims could not disassociate themselves from Jerusalem.

Qazi Hussain alleged that imperialist powers planned to bring forward artificial leadership in Palestine to stop the holy war.