KARACHI, March 18: The chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, on Tuesday proposed a round table conference of all the political forces to overcome the present crisis and to forge national unity to ward off threat to the country’s security in the wake of Iraq crisis.

He made this proposal in his telephonic address, to mark the 19th founding day of the MQM, relayed from the party headquarters ‘Nine Zero’.

He expressed concern over the ultimatum given by the US President George Bush to Iraq and expressed solidarity with the Iraqi people.

Mr Hussain endorsed Pakistan government’s efforts to seek a peaceful end of the Iraq crisis through the good offices of the United Nations because it neither was a super power nor had the veto power. Had that been the case, the Kashmir conflict would have been resolved long ago, he said.

He urged the people to remain united and warned that if Pakistan was made the target after Iraq, this would lead to world war-III resulting in the elimination of a lot of people and radical change in the world map.

He observed that Pakistan was passing through a critical phase because of frequent military interventions and erosion of democratic institutions.

Altaf Hussain also lashed out at the religious groups and parties for “misleading the people by staging the so-called million march”, castigating the United States and accusing others of being its lackeys.

“They are criticizing the US to achieve their nefarious objectives despite the fact that in the past, they had served the American objectives and pushed a large number of Pakistanis, Arabs and Afghans into the war in Afghanistan over a period of more than 11 years,” said the MQM chief.

He advised the religious leaders that “instead of worrying for others, they should be concerned about the problems of the people.”

He repeated his earlier advice that such leaders should go to Iraq and join the human shield.

Mr Hussain’s contended that those who had given the call for the million march and had vowed to wage a jihad, should first be concerned over terrorism, poverty, sectarianism and other problems at home.

Instead of focusing on economic issues, owing to which people were forced to commit suicide, these religious parties were trying to mislead the people in the name of jihad, he remarked.

He also sought forgiveness for his past mistakes, if any, while dilating on the various problems of political, economic and other realms and highlighted MQM’s struggle for the rights of the poor and the down-trodden.

The MQM chief prayed for the early recovery of the ailing Begum Nusrat Bhutto, who has been operate upon in Dubai.