KARACHI, June 28: Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Monday ruled out any inquiry against police into allegations of excesses on elected representatives, activists and journalists on the occasion of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal's peace rally, which was foiled, on Sunday.
"Policemen had done their duty, therefore, there will be no inquiry against them because the probe would demoralize them," the chief minister told a press conference on Monday.
He addressed the news conference in his assembly chambers during a break effected to enable treasury and opposition members to work out modalities for investigating and resolving the issue amid allegations of manhandling and arrest of MPAs and other people intending to attend the rally.
Dr Arbab declared that government's writ would be established at any cost. The police had not been not issued bullets... they were equipped with batons and teargas shells only to disperse the protesters," he added.
The CM was not in the house when Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, acting as a facilitator, had adjourned the proceedings before Zuhar prayer break. Criticizing the MMA, Dr Arbab said that he had asked the alliance for the withdrawal of the call for the peace march and offered the withdrawal of the notification under which two MMA leaders' entry into Sindh had been banned.
The offer was made in the best interest of the province, the CM said citing tension and acrimony generated following the assassinations of Mufti Shamzai, Munawwar Suhrawardy as well as the blasts at places of worship.
He said he had conveyed to the MMA that if they went ahead with the peace march, this could create problem not only for the government but for them as well. Who would have been responsible had there been some untoward incidents during their peace march? asked the CM while pointing out that neither a single vehicle nor any other property was damaged whereas some incidents of violence were reported from the interior of Sindh during the strike called by the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM).
Defending police action in the context of the manhandling of Maulana Omar Sadiq, MMA's parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, Dr Arbab remarked that the police action was commendable as they were fulfilling their responsibilities despite being paid low wages. About MMA leaders' complaints, he said: "If you start beating up them, the policemen could not be asked to remain idle."
"There was no ground or reason for holding peace march in Karachi. Why don't they go for such methods in the NWFP where they had their own government? Why don't they take out protest rallies in Balochistan where rockets are being fired at vital installations?"
Dr Arbab said that since the government had been apprehending violence during peace rallies, it was not taking any chance. In this context, he recalled that when they (MMA) had come here last time, violence had occurred and law and order was disturbed. Petrol pumps and banks were set on fire and damage was caused to the Quaid-i-Azam Academy's library, he added.
"They had not spared even the Quaid-i-Azam library and who knows this time they would have targeted the Mazar itself, because some people were opposed to the creation of Pakistan. They were responsible for the creation of Al-Shams and Al-Badar and I don't know on whose agenda they are working," the CM remarked.
"Jamaat-i-Islami thinks that Islam would flourish only when it would come in power and Pakistan would become a Muslim state only when Qazi Hussain Ahmed would become prime minister," he said sarcastically.
Contrary to the MMA's claim that section 144 had been imposed by chief secretary, Dr Arbab clarified that it was enforced in Karachi by their own nazim which they (MMA) violated. They tried to take law into their own hands, he said.
"Islam does not ask its followers to stand up against rulers of any Islamic state. If they want to wage jihad, Pakistan is not appropriate place because it is an Islamic country whose rulers are true Muslims," Dr Arbab declared.
Regarding the strike call by the JSQM, he said that if they had the grievance against Punjab, then they should go there and take out rallies to convince them. When Qazi Hussain Ahmed could come here, they could also go there, he added.
When the chief minister's attention was drawn to the police excesses against those who were sporting beards, the chief minister held out the assurance that he would not tolerate such a behaviour because beard was Sunnat-i-Rasool.
Replying to a question, he said: "Gen Musharraf is a pious man and I have offered prayers under his lead." When someone asked the CM that if the general was a pious man, then why was he boating with his pet dogs. The CM replied that people did have dogs for security.
When the chief minister remarked that they (opposition) would keep four dogs if asked by Americans, a newsman asked him whether the general had been keeping the dogs on the advice of Americans. The chief minister evaded the question.