LAHORE, Sept 20: Criticizing Gen Musharraf’s statement on rape victims, MMA president and Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmad says the “army ruler talks loosely not knowing what his words meant.” He was talking to reporters after a reception for nazims and councillors of Lahore union councils here on Tuesday.

Gen Musharraf’s ‘loose talk’ in New York attracted criticism even from the Americans, he added.

Commenting on President’s US visit, he said the army ruler had tried to compromise on national interests there just to prolong his rule.

About a call for march on Islamabad, he said ground would be prepared for the purpose during Ramazan through Iftar parties and Juma sermons.

He told a questioner that foundations for a grand opposition alliance had been laid by holding a national leaders’ conference.

Asked if the opposition would accept results of third phase of local polls, the MMA leader said that they had neither accepted results of the two earlier phases and nor would they accept the third’s.

The opposition, he added, was using the poll process just to expose ‘massive irregularities’ being committed by the government.

Speaking at the reception earlier, the Qazi said that Gen Musharraf would not last long in view of the united struggle being launched against his ‘illegal’ rule by the opposition.

He regretted that both the Election Commission and the judiciary had played the role of servants of the ruling party to commit the worst kind of rigging in the history where results were changed overnight through returning officers and opposition candidates were abducted and leaders were implicated in fake cases.

He asked how Chaudhry Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi would politically survive after undermining sanctity of the poll process as Musharraf would not last long (to support them).

It was welcoming, he said, that all opposition parties had got united on a principled stance that Musharraf must go and an independent Election Commission should hold next elections so that people’s genuine representatives could come forward and sovereignty of the Constitution and parliament could be restored.

Qazi emphasized that if all opposition parties remained united with sincerity of cause and purpose, there would be no doubt that Musharraf would be removed soon.

People were ready to come on roads but they were judging whether the leaders giving them the call for it were sincere and devoted for bringing about a revolution that could change their destiny, he added.

The MMA leader said that poverty and lawlessness were two genuine problems of the people and instead of solving them the rulers were making the situation worse for their political purposes. He said the Lahorites were looking towards a combined leadership which could lead them towards a revolution to solve their genuine problems.

The function was also addressed by Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Liaqat Baloch, Rana Mashood and Amirul Azim.

Leaders of the PML-N and the PPP present there included MNAs Pervaiz Malik and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Haji Azizur Rehman Chan, Zafar Masood Bhatti, Tahir Khaleeq, Zakaria Butt, Zahid Akram, Zahoor Wattoo, Mian Marghoob and Akbar Khan.