Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal is contemplating to file a petition with the Supreme Court about the alleged US bombing of a seminary early this week, killing 80 persons.
Maulana Horoonur Rashid, who had handed over his resignation from the National Assembly to MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmed on the day of the incident, told a news conference here on Thursday that he would not be sitting in the assembly anymore.
He termed the killing of large number of people extra-judicial, urging the Supreme Court to take a suo moto notice. However, he added MMA was already consulting experts to approach the judiciary in this context.
President Pervez Musharraf and the military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan maintained that the attack was aimed at hitting the militants and that no innocent life was lost in the action. MMA activist claimed that the US Predator (drone) had played havoc with the seminary whereas to cover it up, the military choppers targeted the site again with a barrage of missiles.
"My decision to resign as MNA is final. It is not a political decision," he made it clear while responding to a volley of questions. Haroonur Rashid hails from Jamaat-e-Islami, and his residence is less than two kilometres away from Cheenagai seminary.
Speaking at a rally, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) Senator Abdul Rashid and MNA Maulana Ghulam Sadiq had also announced the other day to resign as member of the parliament. Haroonur Rashid charged that the attack was carried out by a US drone, and the Pakistan Army helicopters hovered over the area later to give the impression as if they had carried out the operation.
"I myself and other locals have been watching the drone coming to the area during the holy month of Ramazan and it unleashed barbarity on Monday," he claimed.
He out rightly rejected the Pakistan army assertion that it had struck the seminary, Ziaul Aloom and Darul Quran, where a group of militants were hiding. He added that even if the authorities had suspicion, they could have conducted a raid. MMA activist pointed out that in a bid to hide facts, the government did not even allow the media teams and MMA leaders to visit the area.
He saw in the attack a US conspiracy to sabotage a likely agreement between the authorities and the local elders in the line with the one signed earlier in Waziristan. Haroonur Rashid said that after deliberations between the two sides, an accord was to be inked the same day, but the strike turned the situation upside down.
Comments
Comments are closed.