Friday, April 17, 2009

Taliban intend to grab Islamabad, warns MQM

KARACHI: Reiterating its stance against the Nizam-i-Adl regulation, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement warned on Thursday that after controlling the Swat and Buner areas of the NWFP, the Taliban were marching towards the federal capital to occupy the country.

Speaking at a press conference, MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar, however, said that his party would resist the Taliban and foil their plan to occupy Pakistan.

Terming the Swat peace deal signed between the Taliban and the NWFP government an agreement of violence and mayhem, he said that through this deal the Taliban were officially allowed to murder, kidnap, loot and torture women and girls.

He asked the Awami National Party-led NWFP government whether it would try in Qazi courts the cases against terrorists involved in blowing up girls’ schools in Swat.

The MQM leader, who is also a federal minister, said the fears expressed by MQM chief Altaf Hussain had proved right when a suicide bomber targeted a police check-post in Charsadda, killing 16 people, including 10 policemen.

He lashed out at Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for his remarks made in the lower house against the top leadership of the MQM.

He said the system introduced by Altaf Hussain was a guarantee of Pakistan’s solidarity and integrity whereas the system of the Taliban would only bring mayhem and destruction. ‘It is a matter of concern for the people of Punjab as to why Chaudhry Nisar is supporting the system of the Taliban,’ he said.

He said those who favored the so-called Adl regulation in the national assembly not only deceived their voters but also gave a free hand to the Taliban to rule.

Dr Sattar said that instead of criticising the MQM chief, Chaudhry Nisar should take measures to save the people of Punjab from the Taliban. However, he hastily added that the MQM would continue its struggle to save the people of Punjab from Talibanisation.

He said the Swat agreement was an attempt to legalise the tribal culture in the name of Islam and to enforce it not only in the NWFP but in the whole country.

Chaudhry Nisar’s remarks condemned

MQM leaders Babar Khan Ghauri, Hyder Abbas Rizvi, Faisal Subzwari and others lashed out at the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

Speaking at the press conference, they said that it was against parliamentary traditions to level allegations against the top leadership of any political party and it was highly condemnable that Chaudhry Nisar targeted the MQM chief.

They said the MQM did not want to talk about the top leadership of the PML-N or the ANP, but there would be a limit.

Dr Sattar asked Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to tender an apology to the MQM chief and his supporters for making a personal attack on Altaf Hussain.

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