| DAWN/The News International, KARACHI | 28 August 2000, Monday, 27 Jamadi-ul-Awwa 1421 |
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Sunday asked the Interior Minister Lt Gen (retd) Moinuddin Haider to prove with his actions that he will not tolerate extra-judicial killings by bringing all responsible persons to task.
Members of the Muttahida coordination committee, Hasan Musana Alvi and Ehsan Hashmi, in a statement said that the workers in custody faced inhuman torture and were ultimately killed extra-judicially. "But no legal action has so far been initiated against the agencies functionaries and police officials against whom charges were established," they added.
They opined that the uncontrolled police force could neither be barred through vocal declaration and press statements to abide by the law and provide security to the people nor the families of those killed extra-judicially were provided justice and legal cover under the provisions of law.
The committee members appealed to both the chief executive and the interior minister to immediately initiate legal action against former interior minister Choudhary Shujaat Hussain in the wake of his statement, along with other police and government functionaries involved in the ghastly series of murders.
Politicians seek support for democracy,PPP,PML, JI, MQM, GDA delegations meet McKinnonISLAMABAD: Different politicians met Commonwealth Secretary General Donald McKinnon on Sunday seeking support for early return to democracy and restoration of the Constitution, politicians told The News on Sunday.
Six delegations of different political parties, comprising almost the entire lot of the mainstream political outfits, met McKinnon. They apprised him of their viewpoints and hoped that he would use his good offices for the early return of democracy.
"The period of three years for holding elections is devoid of political reality, as the country is also facing a compound economic crisis because of undemocratic rule," Pakistan People's Party leader Raza Rabbani said after his meeting with McKinnon.
Pakistan Muslim League leader Raja Zafarul Haq said: "Mr McKinnon has agreed to continue with his efforts for restoration of democracy in Pakistan." Zafarul Haq was leading the PML delegation which met McKinnon.
Naib Amir, Jamaat-e-Islami, Professor Ghafoor Ahmed said: "Pakistan's own existence was indebted to a democratic struggle. It would be wrong to assume that the Pakistani nation hail the military rule." MQM leader Aftab Shaikh said: "We have informed McKinnon about the GDA demand of giving a timeframe for restoring democracy."
McKinnon hosted two PML delegations, as Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, along with Saira Nawaz returned to Islamabad after addressing a rally at Neela Butt at Bagh district in Azad Kashmir, to meet him.
Earlier, a PML delegation, comprising Raja Zafarul Haq, Sartaj Aziz, Saranjam Khan, Elahi Bux Soomro, Sardar Yaqoob Nasir and Zafar Ali Shah met McKinnon. After the meetings, McKinnon told the press: "The politicians have asked for restoration of democracy, as the local bodies elections could not be an alternative to general elections. The politicians also believed that the Pakistani people cannot be deprived of democracy which should be restored at the earliest."
The GDA delegation, which met McKinnon, was led by Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan and comprised of PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Faheem, MQM's Aftab Shaikh, PML-J leader Hamid Nasir Chattha and ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali.
Chattha said he argued for early elections as the army was using reforms and accountability as an excuse to delay elections. The PPP delegation comprised of Mian Raza Rabbani, Masood Kausar, Dr Fehmida Mirza, B A Malik, Mrs Naveed Qamar, Mrs Ahmed Mukhtar and Usman Saifullah. Raza Rabbani expressed satisfaction over the meeting.
He said: "We have conveyed our feelings on all issues to the Commonwealth secretary general." Rabbani said he told McKinnon that early restoration of democracy was inevitable. "Power should be transferred to the people's representatives through early general elections, otherwise the problems being faced by the federation would get further complicated," he added.
He said although local bodies polls were also essential but these could not be an alternative to general elections. "One-sided accountability is aimed at political victimisation of the party chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, and other leadership," he said.
"NAB Ordinance is repugnant to the Constitution and the basic rights. He said the Political Parties Act is also contradictory to Article 17 of the Constitution. PML leader Raja Zafarul Haq said strengthening international opinion would yield positive results for restoration of democracy.
"We have apprised McKinnon about the derailment of democracy in Pakistan, the plane conspiracy case, cruel treatment being meted out to Nawaz Sharif, who was hand-cuffed in a flight from Islamabad to Karachi, and how the judges resigned when they were asked to take oath under the PCO," he added.
Zafar said the PML delegation apprised McKinnon about the 42-member All Parties Conference which passed a unanimous resolution for the restoration of Constitution and democracy. "Military rule would hurt the country's interest," he added.
He said McKinnon promised to continue making efforts for restoration of democracy. Saira Nawaz, wife of Hussain Nawaz, who met McKinnon along with Kulsoom Nawaz, told the press that McKinnon was informed about all issues ranging from restoration of democracy and the plight of the Sharifs and other political prisoners. "The government does not have any right to amend the Constitution," she added.
PML Secretary General Saranjam Khan said the delegation told McKinnon that if local bodies polls could be held under a new voters' list, how could the general elections be delayed on the pretext of fresh electoral rolls.
The JI delegation, which met the Commonwealth leader, comprised of Professor Ghafoor Ahmed, Liaqat Baloch and Khalid Rehman.
The JI demanded expulsion of India from the Commonwealth on the plea that Delhi was violating human rights to suppress the Kashmiris' freedom struggle. Professor Ghafoor said he told McKinnon that thousands of looters were still at large as the government was pursuing selective accountability. He said he told McKinnon that the autocratic rule of the so-called democratic governments and their inability to follow democratic culture in their own parties shattered people's confidence. "We are trying to revive this shattered belief by organising the nation," he added.
JI Naib Amir Liaqat Baloch appreciated the Commonwealth support for democracy. MQM leader Aftab Shaikh, who met McKinnon twice as he was also member of the GDA delegation, said the MQM asked for restoration of democracy. Nasreen Jalil accompanied him in the meeting.
"We have demanded of the Commonwealth to invite Pakistani politicians at a time when Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar would attend the Commonwealth conference to be held in London in November," said Shaikh.
When asked about the response of McKinnon on the demand, Shaikh said he (McKinnon) told him: "We have done so in case of Nigeria"
Shaikh said the MQM delegation apprised the Commonwealth leader about the ongoing operation in Karachi. "We have told him that we are liberal, and do not believe in fundamentalism," he added.
No compromise on Kalabagh, Pakhtunkhwa, says KhattakDARGAI: Leader of the National Awami Party Pakistan (NAPP) Ajmal Khattak ruled out compromise on the construction of Kalabagh Dam or Pakhtunkhwa but said his party would not use these issues as a vehicle to reach the power corridor. Addressing a public meeting at Dargai bazaar, Malakand Agency, Ajmal Khattak said his party wanted to resolve all contentious issues through national reconciliation and consensus. He said that his party did not want to keep the people in the dark and would take all decisions through jirga. He said that the Pukhtuns, despite rich resources, were compelled to seek jobs abroad. "We will introduce clean political culture," he said. Ajmal Khattak said there was no question of construction of Kalabagh dam, denying any compromise over the issue. He denied having abandoned Pukhtun nationalism.
Curbs on activities of Ahmadis soughtQUETTA: Chief of Tehrik-e-Jafria Pakistan (TJP) Allama Sajjid Naqvi on Sunday demanded of the government to adopt solid measures to combat sectarianism and terrorism in the country. Addressing a news conference, the TJP chief categorically said if the government cannot take strict action against the terrorists then the government will be held responsible for all the consequences.
Naqvi said that the government and the administration had failed miserably to maintain law and order situation in the country. He said everybody is feeling insecure. "It is not right to hurt the ideology of any sect and the government should take cognisance in this regard," he suggested.
He claimed that the network of the terrorists was existed in the country and demanded that the government should launch a "major" operation clean up against the terrorists. He said that the problems of the common like price hike, unemployment and corruption were continuing unchecked and regretted that the employees were being sacked from the government departments in the name of downsizing. He demanded of the government to take action against those, who were trained in Afghanistan.
Naqvi claimed that the existence of the terrorist camps in Afghanistan could not be denied. "I have made it clear to the chief executive in a recent meeting with him that the government should take up the matter with the Afghan government to eliminate the terrorism camps there," he maintained.
Regarding the accountability process, the TJP chief said : "The government should carry out the accountability process without discrimination of colour and creed. The accountability of politicians, bureaucracy, generals, judiciary, journalists and religious scholars must be conducted ruthlessly."
Replying to a question, Naqvi refuted that the TJP was getting any financial support from the Iranian government and claimed that the TJP was enjoying only cordial relation ship with the Islamic Republic of Iran. "We are peaceful and law-abiding citizens," he claimed.
Replying to another question, Naqvi called for the government to apprehend the elements, who were fanning the sectarianism in the country and added that the Milli Yekjehti Council (MYC) had played an important role in bringing all the religious parties on a single platform.
Moot urges Islamic system