Amid calls for arresting former army chief Pervez Musharraf for crimes during nearly a decade of his regime, participants of a national conference on Saturday urged the opposition parties to draw a single-point agenda to get rid of the present government and defeat the conspiracies being designed in "London" by Western powers to reshape the world map.
The National Conference, which Jamaat-i-Islami organised at a local hotel to mark the fifth anniversary of May 12 carnage, evolved a unanimous verdict that the May 12 and other terror incidents perpetrators should be brought to justice, immediately. The theme of the conference was "'May 12 mayhem - outcome of the reconciliatory policy; targeted killings and restoration of peace and harmony in Karachi." Nearly all the political and religious parties attended the moot, except Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) while Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was not invited.
The prominent participants included Chief of JI, Syed Munawwar Hassan, Chairman Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), Raja Zafarul Haq, leader of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Senator and President of Awami National Party (ANP) Sindh, Shahi Syed and Chief of National Party Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo who spoke on the issues and suggested solutions.
All the speakers held Pervez Musharraf responsible for May 12 killings, removal of Chief Justice, Akbar Bhugti's murder, military operation in Balochistan and other unconstitutional actions that left the country in deep crisis. They also called the charter of democracy (CoD) an ineffective document and the PPP-led government's policy of political reconciliation a cradle of fostering terrorism. They said the May 12 incident was the history's black chapter and unless the masterminds of the killings were arrested, the killings of innocent people and political workers would continue unabated.
The speakers also urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take up the issue of May 12, 2007 bloodshed in Karachi, hoping the independent judiciary would do justice to the victims. Speaking at the conference as presiding over the debate, Chief of JI, Syed Munawwar Hassan said, "military operation in Karachi is no solution to ills of terrorism, extortionism, rather such a clampdown will backfire and increase the crime level.
"Had the military operation been an effective tool to arrest terrorism, the government would have never undertaken the fifth of such crackdown in Balochistan," he said, adding that political solutions needed to stem the unrest in the country. He alleged that the ruling PPP patronised terrorists in the name of political reconciliation in the country. "The CoD and policy of political reconciliation were useless as it could not deliver the goods to people," Hassan said. He urged the political forces to evolve a collective agenda on specific lines to get rid of the ever-rising problems which the nation was facing because of the present government's policies.
"Police clampdown in Lyari was a continuation of May 12 bloodshed," said Chief of JI, adding that the government should file FIR against Musharraf and should arrest him for his crimes. He urged the citizens to change their electoral approach and cast votes to those political parties who believed in serving people and the rule of law.
Chairman of PML-N, Raja Zafar Ul Haq blamed Musharraf for unconstitutional actions and crimes which led the country to crisis. He said the crime of May 12 killings had been the distinctive one for Musharraf amongst all his ills. He urged the political parties to get united for a joint struggle to bring out the nation from problems. "It is high time that we stood up for joint struggle to save the country," he said.
He observed that the present situation in Karachi was being discussed across the world as the lawlessness tarnished the country's image abroad. He said foreign investment began to scale down in the wake growing unrest in the city. "Karachi is mini Pakistan and inhabited all," said Raja Zafar, adding that people from more than 37 countries had lived in the metropolis. He said situation in Balochistan and Karachi was alarming. "The government just chanted a slogan of 'Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e Balochistan' but did nothing to prove its intentions," said the PML-N leader.
Vice Chairman PTI, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the parliament had lost its credibility and had just become a centre for debates. The government had claimed that it had suspended Nato supplies in the greater interest of the country while the Defence Minister said that if the government would not restore Nato supplies, it would be a gross violation of the International Convention, he said.
He said electricity load shedding in Punjab spanned for 20 hours a day which had badly disturbed the public life. He said the people could only bring a change in the country. He said the political leaders had left the public frustrated and disappointed. Qureshi called May 12 a "sad" incident and a "black-day" in Pakistan's history, saying the present situation of the country was also worst. He said the government was blocking the implementation of the Supreme Court's verdict against the Prime Minister.
ANP leader Senator Shahi Sayd said that the real issue of the city was "Thappa Mafia", which was the king of all war clans. He said that eliminating the Mafia would ensure complete peace and harmony in the city. "The only solution to terrorism in the city is military operation across the board," he suggested, saying that the operation should be carried out indiscriminately against criminals. He hoped that the holding of free and fair elections would resolve the issue of terrorism.
JUI-F leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed urged the JI to reorganise the formerly alliance of religious parties to get rid of sectarian violence in the country besides impede the US and Nato from executing their evil designs against Pakistan. President Karachi Bar Association, Mehmoodul Hassan said that the process of litigation regarding May 12 carnages was impeded and court's doors were shut by the regime. The May 12 mayhem was a national tragedy and should be probed and the involved should be brought to book.
JI Sindh Chief Asadullah Bhutto, Central Secretary Information of PML-N, Senator Mushahidulla Khan, President of PML-N Sindh Syed Ghaus Ali Shah, Chief of Sindh United Party (SUP) Jalal Mehmood Shah, Allama Ehtisam Elahi Zaheer, Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair and scores of other political and religious leaders spoke on the occasion.
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