KARACHI, Jan 24: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad has accused the government of handing over national sovereignty and territory to the United States and giving it a free hand to intervene wherever it wants. The people of Bajaur had exposed the compromise by staging massive protests against US aggression and foiling the government’s efforts to cover it up, he said at a press conference at Idara Noor-i-Haq on Tuesday.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmad of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Mamnoon Hussain of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Zubair Ahmad of the Tehrik-i-Insaf, Hashim Siddiqui of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui of the Jamaat-i-Islami were also present.

The MMA chief said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was not prepared to lodge protest against the violation of national sovereignty with the US, while Washington was claiming that it had an understanding with the Pakistan government and it could not guarantee that attacks like the on eon Bajaur won’t be repeated.

He lamented that President Pervez Musharraf, who had delivered an hour-long speech when 40 people were killed in a terrorist attack in London, had not uttered a word on the killing of people of his own country in the US airstrike.

The MMA leader said people were expecting that the government would take some practical steps to demonstrate that the army was the protector of the country’s borders.

However, he said, the Bajaur tragedy had united the opposition parties, including the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy and the Tehrik-i-Insaf, and they decided to visit the tribal area to express solidarity with people there ascertain the facts. But the opposition leaders were stopped in Mehmund Agency on Monday by the Frontier Constabulary from going ahead, he said.

He said the opposition leaders addressing the gathering on the occasion had given a call to tribal people to continue their protest.

He criticized the government’s policy and said hundreds of ulema had been sent behind the bars and many others handed over to the US as alleged Al Qaeda suspects.

He said that in Balochistan the army was being pitted against its own people.

Rejecting military solution to the province’s problems, he called for negotiations by reviving the parliamentary committee or forming a new one.

He said army should be withdrawn from North and South Waziristan and dialogue should be held for reconciliation.

He said the law and order situation in the country, including Karachi, had worsened and the judiciary as the first victim of military rule was incapable to protect rule of law and supremacy of the constitution and defend the country.

He said increasing prices of utility services had made the life of common people miserable. The government had raised petroleum prices after increase in the international market but refused it to reduce it under the same criterion, he said.

He said the situation called for a political change which could bring internal stability to resist against the US but this could not be possible without supremacy of the constitution, independence of judiciary, rule of law and an elected civilian government in the country.

In reply to a question, he said the opposition would make another attempt to visit Bajaur via Dir and also take strong delegations to Waziristan and Balochistan to express solidarity with people there, if a decision was taken by leaders of its parties in this regard.

He said the opposition would continue its peaceful protest in parliament and on the streets against government’s policies and the actions in Waziristan and Balochistan.