KARACHI, April 27: A protest rally was organised by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s Karachi chapter at the Empress Market on Friday to condemn the recent rocket attach on the residence of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Leaders of the Opposition in the National Assembly.

Addressing the protesters, MMA leaders demanded arrest of all those involved in attack and said that the same elements were involved in planting a bomb in the office of the NWFP chief minister.

Naib Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, Secretary General of JUI-F, Sindh, Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, Maulana Omar Sadiq, Qari Mohammad Usman, Hameedullah advocate, Mohammad Hussain Mehanti, Nasrullah Shaji, Rafique Ahmad and Siddique Rathor were among those who spoke at the rally.

Accusing the rulers of patronising terrorists, they demanded that culprits of all attacks on religious and political leaders as well as other prominent figures, be arrested and punished according to the law. They also accusing the rulers of being responsible for the price hike, surge in street crimes and deterioration law and order across the country.

Participants of the rally were holding party flags, banners and placards and raising slogans against General Pervez Musharraf and the ruling coalition.

Dr Soomro termed the rocket attack ‘a cowardly act’ and said the opposition could not be overawed by such tactics. He said the MMA had resolved to introduce the governance which would be fully in conformity with the holy Quran and Sunnah. He condemned the agenda being pursued by Gen Musharraf with the aim of transforming Pakistan into a secular state, and reaffirmed the MMA’s resolve to fail the agenda.

He said that following imposition of ban on liquor by the NWFP government, the military rulers had started fomenting disturbances in that province to destablise the provincial government.

Prof Ghafoor Ahmad said that a law and order situation was being created in the NWFP under a calculated plan but people would foil the rulers’ all nefarious designs.