LAHORE, June 10: Various political leaders have condemned the attack on Karachi corps commander and termed it an outcome of "wrong" policies of Gen Musharraf. MMA acting chief Qazi Husain Ahmad declared the incident very critical as far as internal security of the country was concerned.

"Perpetual terror activities in Karachi during the last one month indicate that the city is the target of enemy forces." He regretted that all intelligence agencies had failed to counter terrorists.

He deplored that an accused wanted in murder and other cases of heinous nature had been appointed as governor of a sensitive province like Sindh. He alleged that the conspiracy to injure around 100 people during recent by-poll in Karachi had been hatched in the governor's house.

ARD deputy information secretary Munir Ahmad Khan said the incident had vindicated late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan's stance that involvement of the army in civil affairs would discredit it.

The army rule was neither in the interest of the country nor the army itself, he said in a statement. The ongoing terror wave could not be arrested through cosmetic changes in Sindh and in the centre rather it required establishment of a genuinely elected government in the country, he added.

The ARD wanted that Gen Musharraf should immediately resign and form an interim government of national consensus to check terrorism and boost morale of the army, he said.

PML-N leader and MNA Khwaja Saad Rafiq termed the incident a national tragedy and said that the rulers had no right to remain in power if they could not arrest a handful of terrorists.

PML-N MNA from Lahore Pervaiz Malik said the deteriorating law and order could not be improved by any in-house change but by mending political approach. Jamaat-i-Islami secretary-general Syed Munawwar Hasan said security arrangements for ordinary citizens in Karachi could be gauged from the fact that even officers of an organized institution like the army were not safe there.

He regretted that not a single accused involved in the Karachi terror incidents during the last one and half months had so far been rounded up. He said the Jamaat had been stressing again and again that "terrorism cannot be checked by a government of terrorists."

He said the rulers had to rise above their personal interests and avoid being blackmailed by the MQM if they wanted to restore peace to Karachi.