LARKANA, Feb 5: Almost all the political parties, which made it to the power corridors, had direct or indirect support

of the establishment and the country had not seen true democracy during 50 years, said Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Sindh General Secretary Senator Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro on Monday.

Speaking at a seminar on “Democracy and democratic culture” organised by Liberal Forum Pakistan (LFP) he said that in spite of deep religious and sectarian differences democracy never derailed in India while Pakistan was still struggling with some or the other form of democracy.

The US was not only trampling on human rights and democratic values in the name of democracy but also imposing war on Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and other Muslim countries, he said.

Mr Soomro said that it was high time Muslims stand up

to fight against such anti-

Islam policies and said that Muslims around the world were targeted due to what he called wrong interpretation of their religion.

He held the landlords and chieftains of different tribes responsible for simmering and bloody clashes and stressed that the clashes would die down if the landlords were put behind bars.

He asked how could a country make progress when its army was busy establishing utility stores, petrol pumps and CNG stations and called for provincial autonomy to all the provinces.

LFP central general secretary Dr Zulfikar Rahoojo stressed the need for expanding, promoting and strengthening democratic values in the country and said that Quaid-i-Azam always stood for democratic culture.

LFP President Qazi Aijaz, Aziz Mangi, Shahid Ali Rind, Haji Khan Metlo, Abbas Haidar Gaad and Syed Talib Shah also spoke at the seminar.