Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) President Qazi Hussain Ahmed has accused President Pervez Musharraf of giving the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) ‘a free hand’ to carry out violence in Karachi against peaceful people. Addressing a press conference, Ahmed said that “MQM hooligans” killed dozens of people and wounded several others in Karachi “at the behest of Gen Musharraf”. He said that the Rangers and police were also involved. He called for Gen Musharraf and his cabinet’s resignation, restoration of the Constitution and elections under an independent election commission. Ahmed said the incumbent parliament had no right to re-elect Musharraf as president and that all political parties would collectively block his re-election. “Gen Musharraf, with or without uniform, is an unconstitutional president,” he said.
Ahmed said the MMA had decided to begin a movement in cooperation with other political parties to oust President Musharraf to overcome the current crisis. “We have consulted Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Amin Fahim, Chaudhry Nisar, Imran Khan and Asfandyar Wali on the issue. They all support us,” he said. The MMA leader said that a countrywide strike would be observed today (Monday) to condemn the Karachi killings. He said that Gen Musharraf would not step down unless people take to the streets.
Ahmed said that MQM chief Altaf Hussain was ‘psychologically ill’ and the British government was protecting him. He said that Gen Musharraf and Altaf Hussain’s rallies were a ‘failure’. He said the federal government spent over Rs 500 million from the national exchequer on the Islamabad rally.