KARACHI, May 21: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Friday slammed the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Pakistan People's Party for "resorting to violence" and accused religious parties of trying to transform the metropolis into a new headquarters of the Al-Qaeda.

The MQM's parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Dr Farooq Sattar, in a hurriedly called news conference at 'Nine Zero', also accused the religious parties of trying to create the situation which in the '90s had led to an operation against the MQM.

At the outset, Dr Sattar alleged that PPP activists had killed another MQM activist in Malir, and claimed that the violence was part of a conspiracy to destabilize Sindh and the coalition. The PPP, he added, was damaging the province's economy and social fabric.

Despite the joint efforts by the PPP and MMA to defeat MQM in the May 12 by-elections, citizens overwhelmingly supported the MQM candidates, he said. He repeated the allegation that the opposition party and the alliance had indulged in hooliganism and terrorist activities besides capturing certain polling stations. They resorted to terrorise polling agents and voters, he added.

Over a dozen activists and supporters of the MQM have been killed by activists of the PPP and MMA since Eid Miladun Nabi, he claimed, and in this context, cited the incidents where Imran, Zubair and Tariq had been killed on May 2. Another worker belonging to the Unit 157 Liaquatabad, Nooruddin, was killed on May 5, he added.

The MQM leader also referred to the killing of Tariq Javed Masih and Ishaq Masih, and said that many more were injured in similar violence on May 17 in Baldia Town.

Dr Sattar pointed out that an MQM activist, Shakeel Patel, belonging to Unit 95 of Malir sector, had been killed to harass town nazims and councillors and to influence the upcoming election for the new town nazim in Malir. He blamed the murder on the PPP.

The MMA and PPP are working on a common agenda to destroy peace in the province and undermine democratic dispensation, remarked the MQM leader.

He observed that despite their contradictions at national level, the two forces had joined hands to destroy peace in Karachi and achieve their objective of another operation in the city, though both of them were opposing the Wana operation against terrorists.

Accusing them of provoking people, Dr Sattar asked that why had these political parties chosen Sindh for their 'terrorist' activities. "Why don't they make this hue and cry and stage protest and strikes in Lahore, Peshawar or some other city?"

The MQM leader urged Sindh people to take notice of the MMA and PPP conspiracies, and appealed to the president, prime minister, Sindh governor and chief minister to take serious notice of Shakil Patel's murder and bring the culprits to justice.

Haider Abbas Jafri, Abdul Wasim, Abid Ali Umang, Nisar Panhwar and Yusuf Muneer Shaikh were among those present at the press conference.