HYDERABAD, Oct 29: The re-elected chairman of Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party (STPP), Dr Qadir Magsi has said that since September 11 not only Pakistan but the entire world was going through an upheaval.

He said his party was of the considered opinion that terrorism was born due to the policies pursued by the world community during the last 55 years which had tried to stem the tide of nationalist movement and provided support to fundamentalist elements.

Flanked by the newly elected officer bearers of his party, Magsi told a press conference here on Monday that even President Gen Pervez Musharraf was forced to admit that the situation prevailing in Pakistan today was no different from that of 1971.

He said as far as his party was concerned, it was against fundamentalism as this philosophy was against democratic values and it retarded the very consciousness of the people.

He said religious extremism in any shape whether it was Jewish fundamentalism, Hindu fundamentalism or Islamic fundamentalism should be condemned.

He said Osama bin Laden was being portrayed as a Mujahid but as a matter of fact, he was the greatest threat to global peace and his movement had nothing to do with Islam.

He said that for global peace Osama should be handed over to the international court of justice.

Magsi also condemned the killing of innocent people and bombardment on hospitals and civilian population in Afghanistan.

He said in order to combat terrorism, a peace force under the UNO should be appointed on permanent basis in Afghanistan and the bombardment on innocent civil population should be immediately stopped.

He said that due to Afghanistan, Sindh had been badly affected and added that since 1979, 3.5 million Afghan nationals had been rehabilitated in Pakistan.

STPP chief said as a result innocent peoples were being attacked in Imam Bargahs, mosques and churches.

He said that Pakistan’s policies had backfired.

He said that due to the influx of Afghan refugees into Sindh, there had been proliferation of narcotics and arms and even the ecology and environment of the province had been destroyed.

Dr Magsi claimed 60 per cent of Sindh’s forest had been cut by the Afghan settlers and this act had not only changed the local season but environmental imbalance had also taken place.

He said Sindh had always remained secular and there was no hatred between the Hindus and Muslim in the province.

He, however, said that now sectarian hatred had been created and even mosques had been separated.

He said that Sindh had been selected for staging protest demonstrations and processions to give an impression to the world that the province was the stronghold of fundamentalists.

“The people of Sindh do not subscribe to this philosophy”, the nationalist leader stressed.

He demanded that Afghan nationals should be sent back to their country and Afghans should decide their own future by convening a Loya Jirga.

He condemned the attack on church in Bahawalpur and termed it sheer madness.

Magsi, who is also the provincial president of Ponam, said that Ponam leaders of Sindh would undertake an exhaustive tour of the province to create awareness among the people about the prevailing situation.

He said terrorism and crime was the gifts of outsiders to Sindh. He termed the constitution of city government in Karachi a deep-rooted conspiracy.

He deplored the Sindhi speaking people, who were serving in Karachi, had been asked to go back to the districts of their domicile.