LAHORE, March 1: All opposition parties in Punjab have announced their support for March 3 shutdown strike against offensive sketches. The announcement came at a joint press conference held at the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday. The participants included MMA’s Liaquat Baloch, Pir Ijaz Hashmi and Riaz Durrani, PPP’s Naveed Chaudhry, PML-N’s Tehmina Daultana and Pervaiz Malik, Tehrik-i-Insaaf’s Admiral Javed Iqbal (retired) and Jamaatud Daawa’s Maulana Amir Hamza.
A joint written statement given to reporters claims all religious, political parties, social organisations, transporters, students, workers, and trade bodies will participate in the strike.
It held the “retreat” and “apologetic” attitude of rulers responsible for encouraging opponents of Islam to publish blasphemous caricatures.
The Pakistan government, it alleged, not only tried to turn violent the peaceful demonstrations against the offence but also blamed the protesters for cheap politicking under the garb of protest over the issue.
State machinery was used to fail the demonstrations, while the government itself was unable to present Islamic point of view (on the issue) because of its double standards, it alleged.
The parties expressed concern over army operations in Balochistan and Waziristan, US attack and transgression of Pakistan’s land, “flawed” economic policies and “deteriorating” law and order in the country.
They asserted that Gen Musharraf-led setup had failed to solve the problems facing the nation, and accepting general election under it would be tantamount to promoting rigging and continuity of violation of the Constitution.
They resolved to adopt the strategy to be given by the steering committee formed at the Islamabad round-table conference of opposition parties in the framework of putting an end to army rule, restoring the 1973 Constitution, holding fair and impartial elections under an interim setup and forming an autonomous election commission.
The joint statement demanded that European countries should respect feelings of billion plus Muslims and tender their apology to the Ummah. It also sought framing of an international law on ensuring respect for sacred personalities and punishment for the blasphemers.
At national level, it sought release of MMA chief Qazi Husain Ahmad, ARD president Javed Hashmi, PPP’s Yousuf Reza Gilani and other political activists.
It was also demanded that the government should not create hurdles in holding peaceful protests in Punjab.
Attacks on churches in Sukkur and Sargodha were condemned as sabotage acts aimed at “dividing the masses for continuing dictatorship.”