All religio-political groups should unify well before the setting up of caretaker government, otherwise there is no hope for a positive change, chief of Awami Muslim League Shaikh Rashid Ahmed said on Thursday. He warned that fragmentation among religious groupings would benefit opponents in the upcoming elections and urged all like-minded groups to contest polls from a single platform to change the country's destiny.
Speaking at an All Parties Conference organised by Defa-e-Pakistan Council at Idarae Noor-e-Haq, he said that the ruling coalition led by the PPP had lost its influence in three provincial governments, except in Sindh. Warning of widespread bloodshed in next elections, he said: "Khyber Pakhunkhwa is even not paying its taxes collected on Natos supplies, while Punjab and Balochistan (governments) are already detached from its policies."
Criticising the coalition government in Sindh, he said that land grabbers, extortionists and killers were "beyond the control of the PPP". He said industrialists in Punjab were planning to relocate their industries to Karachi because of smooth power supply there, but were reluctant because of the prevalence of lawlessness in the Sindh metropolis. "If religious votes are divided, there is no (hope for a) solution to the situation, nothing positive will happen," he said.
Urging religious parties to unify under a grand political alliance much before the creation of the caretaker set up in the country, he said: "Once the caretaker set up is established, all parties will be engaged in their political campaigns, and the chance to form such an alliance will be lost." Shaikh Rashid also warned the nation about the distasteful role of the electronic media in the country's affairs, saying the people should keep a strict watch on upcoming TV channels, complying with foreign agenda.