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KARACHI, May 31: Opposition leader in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who is also secretary general of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, has given a call for country wide strike for Friday to protest the assassination of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was shot dead by unknown assailants here on Sunday.
Qari Mohammad Usman, information secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, said in a statement that Maulana Fazalur Rahman had appealed to the people to observe a shutdown to show that they were against those responsible for the killing of ulema.
A protest rally would be held on June 11 in the city where the top MMA leadership would announce future course of action, he said.
Meanwhile, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who visited the residence of the Mufti Shamzai, has said that the assassination was a conspiracy to push moderate Islamic forces towards extremism.
Appealing to people to maintain a vigil, he observed that certain forces were trying to plunge the city into another sectarian bloodbath by plotting bomb blasts at places of worship and by killing sect leaders. He termed their activities a conspiracy against religious groups and elements.
The MMA leader declared that Mufti Shamzai's killing would not deter his followers from continuing his mission of promoting religious tolerance, safeguarding religious seminaries, jihad and establishment of Islamic system of governance.
COOPERATION: According to a release of the Jamiatul Uloom Al-Islamiyyah, a meeting of religious clerics and JUI leaders has decided not to extend cooperation to the government at any level.
It expressed no confidence in the government's performance so far and also decided not to accept its offer for the treatment at the government's expenses of those injured in the attack. A condolence meeting will be held on Tuesday in the seminary to pay homage to Mufti Shamzai.
Expressing no confidence in the Sindh governor's assurance that killers of Mufti Shamzai would be apprehended, the leaders of Ulema Council said how could they believe in the assurance when the government had already failed in apprehending the assassins of Maulana Mohammad Yusuf Ludhyanvi, Maulana Habibullah Mukhtar and Mufti Abdus Sami.
In a joint statement, Dr Abdur Razzak Iskandar, Maulana Imdadullah, Qari Mohammad Usman and Hafiz Abdul Qayyum Nomani asked the government to tell them why was a Binnori Town seminary always targeted. They accused the government of pushing peace-loving faithful towards extremism, and reiterated that they would not fall in the trap.
