Speakers at Shaan-e-Mustafa conference on Thursday pledged that religious parties would continue their protest movement against President General Pervez Musharraf and the publication of blasphemous cartoons. Rallies and sit-ins would be staged in Islamabad in this regard, they said. “We would oust General Musharraf before the next general elections and our protest movement would continue and the final encounter in this regard would be held in the federal capital,” said Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the president of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, while speaking at the conference held under the auspices of the National Consultative Council.Qazi said that general elections held under General Musharraf would be a farce, therefore the opposition parties would oust Musharraf from both offices before the polls. He said the date for a protest march against General Musharraf would be decided in the MMA’s supreme council meeting and other opposition parties would also be consulted.
Dispelling reports of MMA’s break-up before the general elections, the MMA president said all efforts of General Musharraf and the government to weaken the six-party religious alliance would be foiled. “We will keep the MMA united and would contest general elections from this platform,” he maintained. He said that General Musharraf was carrying out military operation in Waziristan on the directives of the US. “Anyone who is a friend of Musharraf is also a friend of the US,” he said.