KARACHI, Dec 1: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has announced that protest rallies would be held at various vintage points and localities of the city to mobilize public opinion and force Gen Musharraf to relinquish the post of army chief by 31st of this month in accordance with the 17th constitutional amendment. The rallies would also be aimed at preventing the military ruler from violating the constitution.

The MMA, which has already launched an organized movement against Gen Musharraf's refusal to keep his words, on shedding his uniform on Dec 31, with the Nov 28 public rally in Karachi, made it clear to the general that after this date, it would not recognize him as head of the state if he did not quit as army chief. The alliance has also threatened to launch a nation-wide anti-government movement.

Announcing the plans, a spokesman for the MMA, Mr Sarfaraz, said that the labour wing, women wing, youth wings and lawyers' forum belonging to the alliance would be organizing protest rallies in line with the mass mobilization campaign.

MMA activists, he said, would go door-to-door to create awareness and inform masses of the aims and objectives of the movement. He pointed out that the activists would highlight the pressing problems, including rising graph of poverty, unchecked price-hike and rampant unemployment, during the campaign.

The public opinion would also be mobilized against the government's uncalled for support to the US aggression against Islamic states. The public rallies would strongly condemn the ongoing military operation in Wana, assassination of several prominent religious figures as well as crackdown on religious seminaries, the spokesman said.

According to the plan, MNAs, MPAs and local leadership of the MMA would address the protest rallies to be held at local level, first of which is being held in south district on Friday (Dec 3).

On Sunday, another rally would be held at 4:00pm outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and the next day at Banaras Chowk. A women rally has been scheduled for Dec 7 near Mazar-i-Quaid and another protest rally the next day outside the KPC.

More rallies are scheduled as follows: Bin Qasim: Dec 10; Outside KPC: Dec 12; Habib Bank Chowrangi (women's rally): Dec 14; Bin Qasim (women's rally): Dec 15; Outside KPC (lawyers' rally): Dec 16; Outside KPC: Dec 17, 20 and 22 under the auspices of district west, district south and district east (women), respectively.

The MMA's district south would stage a rally on Dec 24 and the labour wing on Dec 27 at Dawood Chowrangi. A workers' rally would be held at the KPC on Dec 28 and a women's rally outside the KPC the next day. Demonstrations would be held outside various mosques on Dec 31 after Jumma prayers.