KARACHI, Feb 12: The acting chief the Jamaat-i-Islami, Syed Munawwar Hasan, has strongly criticized the government’s decision to induct armymen into the anti-terrorism courts, and described it as “a parallel judicial system.”

Addressing members of the Karachi Bar Association on Tuesday, he praised lawyers for raising their voice against the proposed reconstitution of the ATCs, and said his party supported them.

He maintained that the planned reconstitution of the ATCs was in violation of the decision by which judiciary and executive had been separated.

“Induction of army personnel would be tantamount to interference in the judicial system,” he said.

He said even the Supreme Court had no right to amend the constitution, so how could it grant this right to a non-elected government.

“Gen Pervez Musharraf has violated the apex court’s judgment as he has mentioned several times that he will remain president after the October 2002 elections. He has appointed Justice Irshad Hasan Khan the Chief Election Commissioner despite demands for an impartial CEC,” he added.

He described the steps taken by the government ahead of election as “pre- election rigging,” and maintained that the JI would strongly resist these. The JI had serious reservations on allocation of seats for women and technocrats in the assemblies as, according to him, to these non-representative persons and favourites of the government would be elected.

He contended that speaking truth was the only crime of the JI chief, Qazi Husain Ahmed, therefore he faced a sedition case.

Commenting on the International Coalition against Terrorism, he was of the view that it was not against terrorism, but against the Muslim world.

“The government must tell the people why the Jacobabad airport is still under the use of American marines. It is the best place for the US to contain China,” he said.

He was of the view that the US wanted access to the mineral wealth of Central Asian countries, so it had attacked Afghanistan and replaced the Taliban government with Hamid Karazai to install a “stable government.”

He said the tension between India and Pakistan would not lead to war. Three former chiefs of the Indian army had said the Kashmir issue could be resolved only through dialogue.—PPI