KARACHI, April 23: Leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami at a rally here on Sunday accused the government of trying to conceal facts about the Nishtar Park blast, and claimed that it was changing its statements about those involved was aimed at protecting its allies in the coalition.

The rally was held outside the Karachi Press Club to demand the arrest of all those involved in Nishtar Park blast, killings and violence at educational institutions and plunder in the city. The JI leaders held the provincial government responsible for the lawlessness, and observed that peace could not be restored to the city unless the governor and home minister were removed.

Calling for the arrest of all those involved in the Nishtar Park blast and IJT activist Akmal Shirazi’s killers, they demanded constitution of a committee with the representation of all parliamentary parties in the National Assembly to investigate the acts of terrorism.

Participants of the rally were holding banners and placards and raising slogans against the terrorists.

JI’s Naib Amir Asadullah Bhutto (MNA), who is also provincial chief of the MMA, pointed out that despite a lapse of many days, neither an investigation report pertaining to the Nishtar Park blast was made public, nor was any of those involved arrested.

He alleged that the rulers, who were bent upon proving that it was a suicide bombing, were now changing their statements just to cover up their crime. He pointed out that they had termed it suicide bombing even before starting an investigation. “Now they say that the blast was part of a conspiracy aimed at triggering sectarian riots.”

Holding the governor and home minister responsible for all such incidents in the city, he said that the killing of Akmal Shirazi, who was shot dead in the Government College of Commerce and Economic, was a continuation of the Nishtar Park blast.

“The deeds of Gen Musharraf have forged unity among the ulema all schools of thought,” he remarked.

MNA Nasrullah Shaji of MMA said that a conspiracy had been hatched to turn the city and its educational institutions into the ‘killing fields’. No one’s life and property is safe and no one feels secure in Karachi, according to him. He wondered that those involved in the attempt on the life of Gen Pervez Musharraf had been nabbed instantly, but those who assassinated ulema were still at large. In fact, he claimed, the rulers themselves were involved in the assassinations.

He declared that the bid to give the Nishtar Park blast a sectarian colour would be foiled.

Qazi Ahmad Noorani of JUP said that the ulema belonging to all schools of thought were more united than ever before. He asked the rulers to step down immediately.

BLASPHEMY: Women Wing of the JI’s Karachi chapter, in a resolution adopted at its meeting on Sunday, condemned the publication of blasphemous sketches by an Italian newspaper recently, and demanded a boycott of all such countries’ products at every level. The culprits of blasphemy must be punished and steps be taken to ensure that no one dared to resort to such acts again.

QAZI DUE: MMA chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad is arriving in the city on Monday on a two-day visit. He would visit bereaved families of the religious leaders who were killed in the Nishtar Park tragedy. He would also visit the bereaved family of IJT activist Akmal Shirazi.

CONVENTION: Sindh Chief of the JI Dr Mumtaz Memon, addressing the Huffaz Convention at the Idara Noor-i-Haq here on Sunday, said that religious seminaries were not ‘centres of terrorism’ as propagated by the West, but protectors of the Islamic identity of Pakistan. He regretted that at the behest of the United States, madressahs were being raided and ulema arrested. He said that under a deep-rooted conspiracy, Islam was being linked with terrorism.

Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui said that the rulers, in the name of moderation and enlightenment, wanted to promote immorality “We will face all such internal and external conspiracies against Islam, and would not allow the government to promote western and Hindu cultures,” he added.

Maulana Abdul Rauf and Maulana Qasim Rashid also addressed the convention where 42 Huffaz were awarded certificates.