KARACHI, Jan 25: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has strongly condemned the alleged attack on the office of Jamaat-i-Islami, Idra Noor-i-Haq, on Thursday, and demanded arrest of the culprits.
Addressing a press conference at the same office, MMA leaders Prof Ghafoor Ahmad, Siddiq Rathore, Nazir Abbas Taqvi, Arshad Zahid, Mohammad Hussain Mehanti, Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, Rafiq Ahmad, and others claimed that a large number of people, several of them armed, came to the office in buses, pick-ups and other vehicles and attacked it with stones. The armed men among them also resorted to firing, they said.
Although the frenzy of assault ran into one hour or so, the policemen present there acted as silent spectators, they deplored, adding: “In fact, some policemen also accompanied the attackers.”
The MMA leaders said that the daredevil attack on the office of a major political party in the provincial capital had exposed the government’s claim of having improved law and order. Describing it as the first incident of its kind in the country’s history, they said the indifference shown by the police gave to understand that it was a premeditated attack carried out under official patronage. Considering the general elections planned to be held within a year, this attack could be regarded a warning for opposition parties to refrain from participating in the polls, they observed.
They pointed out that quite a large number of prominent religious and political figures had been assassinated over the past few years and attacks had been carried out on religious processions, congregations, places of worship during the period, but a culprit had rarely been caught or punished. This, they added, strengthened the claim that government agencies were protecting the culprits and using them for their ulterior motives.
The MMA leaders, presenting data crime committed in the city during the previous year, said that over 1,050 people had been killed and they included 62 religious leaders. They also referred to the increasing incidents of murders, robberies and other crimes, saying that the law and order in the city was deteriorating with every passing day and the government had miserably failed to establish writ of law.
They demanded immediate arrest of the assailants of the fresh mob attack, and demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits.
FRENCH ENVOYS: The Ambassador of France to Pakistan Rugus de Belenit and Consul General in Karachi Pierre Seillan visited JI office Idara Noor-i-Haq here on Thursday and discussed political developments in the country with Prof Ghafoor Ahmad, Naimatullah Khan, Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui and other MMA leaders. They told the opposition leaders that Paris supported and promoted democracy around the world and that the European Union was also watching the developments taking place in Pakistan vis-à-vis the upcoming general elections closely.
They noted that free, fair and transparent elections were vital to see democracy flourish in Pakistan.
They two sides also discussed the situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with reference to the role and activities of religious schools.
The MMA leaders stressed on continued interaction between followers of different religions, as well as close relationship between various cultures, to ensure a better understanding and higher tolerance level.
Highlighting the valuable contribution of madressahs towards increasing the literacy and education level, they told the envoys that major of Pakistan people could not send their children to good schools owing to poverty and the madressahs were efficiently sharing the state’s responsibility. Rejecting any link between madressahs and terrorism as propaganda, they invited the envoys to visit the religious schools to have the first-hand information.
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