LAHORE, Nov 20: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal will start its protest campaign against the Women Protection Bill from Nov 24, and the day will also be observed as a protest day, says Liaquat Baloch.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the provincial chapter of the MMA here on Monday, he said the alliance would stage a rally from Lahore to Gujrat for demanding resignation of Shujaat Husain.
If the country relapsed into martial law as a result of the protest campaign, the alliance would not be responsible for it, rather the responsibility would lie with those still sitting in the National Assembly, he said.
Baloch said 45 members of the government party did not vote for WPB, which was a moral victory for those opposing the bill.
He said other parties would be left with no options but to quit the assembly following the MMA. The decision to resign from the lower house was final and delay in session of the assembly would be of no consequences to the alliance, he said and added that the MMA would announce the resignations plan in its party meeting on Dec 6.
Meanwhile addressing a press conference here on Monday, Prof Sajid Mir of the Jamiat Ahle Hadith said though MMA had decided to quit the assembly, it should not ignore official offer to amend the bill according to ulema’s recommendations.
He maintained that even if the government was bluffing, the religious parties must call it bluff. But if the government failed to do so, the option of resignations and taking to streets could be exercised.
He said the government had succeeded in dividing the opposition and the PPP had committed the same mistake by supporting the regime on the bill, as the MMA had committed by helping it on 17th amendment. “The PPP has exercised the law of the necessity this time as the MMA had done a few years back.”
He said the USA and the UK had joined hands against the Islamic identity of Pakistan and it was time for all anti-imperialistic and anti-secular forces to get together and fight for their rights and religious identity.
Mir said expecting fair and free polls under Gen Pervez Musharraf was tantamount to living in fools’ paradise. The general had shown no regard to the Constitution, law or tradition in the country and he could hardly be trusted to hold transparent polls.
He emphasised that talks offer by Shujaat Husain should not be wasted.
“No one can stop the MMA from resigning at any point of time, but doors for dialogue should not be shut for any reason.”
The JAH leader said MMA would not quit the Senate or reserved seats for the time being. He also claimed that his party would hold country-wide protests against secular tendencies of the government and its attempt to play with religious identity of the country.