No surrender: PPP, MQM, ANP show unity against Taliban and affiliated Takfiri terrorists
Karachi (29 April 2013): The three centre-left political parties part of the previous federal coalition government, namely the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP), vowed to fight terror and brave targeted attacks by Takfiri Deobandi militants namely the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant organisation (which operates in Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Lahore as Sipah-e-Sahaba ASWJ-MDM) while contesting the upcoming general elections, DawnNews reported.
PPP leader Taj Haider said their party‚ ANP and MQM have been fighting against terrorists and that is why they are being targeted during election campaign. He alleged that terrorist outfits are in fact militant wings of rightists’ parties. He said condemnation of the rightist parties of the acts of terrorism is nothing but an attempt to influence the public opinion. Taj Haider invited attention of the official agencies towards terrorist incidents and called for action to stem them. He said media and human rights organizations should also take notice of the situation.
MQM’s Haider Abbas Rizvi, ANP’s Bashir Jan and PPP’s Taj Haider held a joint press conference at the Karachi Press Club where the parties reiterated their stance to contest the upcoming election amid terrorist threats.
Haider Rizvi said PPP‚ MQM and ANP would not surrender to religious extremists and would fight terrorists together, and bomb attacks would not deter the parties during the upcoming elections. He said election activities are going on unhindered only in one province while these three parties are being targeted in other three provinces.
ANP’s Sindh secretary general Bashir Jan said that the party had rendered sacrifices before and refered to the assassination of party leader Bashir Bilour and the murder of the son of then provincial information minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belonging to the ANP, Mian Iftikhar Hussain. Jan also claimed that there was no influx of Taliban militants in Karachi during the operation in Swat and that only internally displaced refugees had fled from the restive areas to Karachi. He added that the party had buried 650 members in a single day and yet they remain resolved to contest the upcoming elections. He questioned the Taliban’s double standards who had declared democracy as an un-Islamic process on one hand and on the other hand the oraganisation’s political wing had distributed pamphlets claiming that jihad must be carried out through vote.
When questioned about the previous apprehensions expressed during the rule of the previous coalition government regarding talibanisation in Karachi, PPP’s senior leader Taj Haider mentioned the Waziristan operation and other military operations conducted against militants in the tribal regions while claiming that militants had the support of certain right-wing political parties who were helping the attacks on left-wing liberal parties. Haider ruled out the possibility of a complete military takeover and said that the Army could be called in only if the situation demanded and that too for only the maintenance of law and order. He also questioned the silence over the killings of civialians in the targeted militant attacks by those political parties whiach had raised their voices against the drone strikes carried out on Pakistani territory.
The Takfiri Deobandi militants of TTP and ASWJ-LeJ-MDM have recently stepped up their targeted attacksagainst the parties raising concerns about the impact of such incidents on the upcoming elections. There are widespread allegations and circumstantial evidence that Takfiri Deobandi terrorists of the Sipah Sahaba Taliban are abetted by pro-Taliban rightwing parties namely PML-N, JUI-F, Jamaat Islami and PTI. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has refrained from targetting the election candidates and campaigns of the right-wing pro-Taliban political parties.
بائیں بازو کی جماعتیں دہشت گردی کے خلاف متحد
پاکستان کے شہر کراچی میں بائیں بازو سے تعلق رکھنے والی تین جماعتوں پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی، متحدہ قومی موومنٹ اور عوامی نیشنل پارٹی کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ دہشت گردی کا مقابلہ کرنے کے لیے تیار ہیں۔
گذشتہ حکومت میں متحدہ قومی موومنٹ اور عوامی نیشنل پارٹی کا حکمراں جماعت پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے ساتھ حکومتی اتحاد تھا۔
کراچی پریس کلب میں تینوں جماعتوں کے رہنماؤں نے مشترکہ پریس کانفرنس میں کہا ہے کہ بائیں بازو کی جماعتیں دہشت گردوں کے نشانے پر ہیں لیکن وہ پھر بھی چاہیں گے کہ انتخابات وقت پر ہوں۔
نیوز کانفرنس میں پیپلز پارٹی کے رہنما تاج حیدر نے کہا، ’تینوں سیاسی جماعتوں پر حالیہ حملوں میں ملوث دہشت گرد تنظیمیں دائیں بازو کی سیاسی جماعتوں کے عسکری ونگ ہیں اور دائیں بازو کی عسکری جماعتیں جو ہر طریقے سے ناکام ہو رہی ہیں اور عوام کو اپنے خلاف جاتا دیکھ رہی ہیں تو وہ طاقت کے زور پر انہیں روکنا چاہتی ہیں۔‘
انھوں نے کہا کہ ایک طرف وہ سیاسی جماعتیں ہیں جو انتہا پسندی اور دہشت گردی کے خلاف نبرد آزما رہی ہیں اور وہ جماعتیں جن پر دہشت گرد گروپ حملہ کر رہے ہیں اور انتخابی مہم نہیں چلانے دے رہے ہیں، اور دوسری طرف وہ سیاسی جماعتیں ہیں جن کو دہشت گرد اپنا ضامن کہتے ہیں اور جو بلا روک ٹوک اپنی انتخابی مہم چلا رہے ہیں۔
متحدہ قومی موومنٹ کے رہنما حیدر عباس رضوی نے کہا کہ بائیں بازو اور دائیں بازو کی جماعتوں میں نظریاتی فرق ظاہر ہوچکا ہے۔ ’ایک نظریاتی تقسیم ظہور پذیر ہو چکی ہے۔ اعتدال پسندوں، روشن خیالوں اور ایک طرف مذہبی جننیوں اور رجعت پسندؤں کی بنیاد پر ایسے واضح طور پر ایسے تقسیم کردیا گیا ہے۔‘
“دہشت گرد اور انتہا پسند تنظیمیں دائیں بازو کی جماعتوں کے عسکری ونگ ہیں اوراب دائیں بازو کی جماعتیں جب عوام کو اپنے خلاف جاتے دیکھ رہی ہیں تو ایسے زورِ بازو سے روکنا چاہتی ہیں۔”
پیپلز پارٹی کے رہنما تاج حیدر
اُنھوں نے کہا کہ ہم تینوں جماعتوں نے اس بات کا مشترکہ فیصلہ کیا ہے کہ ہم اِن دہشت گردی کے واقعات اور بم دھماکوں سے خوف زدہ نہیں ہوں گے اور دہشت گردی کا مردانہ وار مقابلہ کریں گے۔
عوامی نیشنل پارٹی کے رہنما بشیر جان نے اس موقعے پر کہا کہ دہشت گردی کے واقعات بائیں بازو کی جماعتوں کی حوصلوں کو پست نہیں کرسکتے۔ ’ ہم ہر حالت میں الیکشن کا انعقاد چاہتے ہیں لیکن ان حالات کی ذمہ دار دہشت گردوں کے ساتھ نگران حکومت اور الیکشن کمیشن بھی ہے۔ ہم پاکستان کی ریاست، آزادی اور جمہوریت کے خلاف سازشوں کو ناکام بنائیں گے۔‘
پیپلز پارٹی کے رہنما تاج حیدر نے کہا کہ دہشت گرد تنظیمیں اپنی کارروائیوں کو ناکام ہوتا دیکھ کر بوکھلا گئی ہیں۔ انھوں نے کہا کہ ’حکومت نے دہشت گردوں کو چھوٹ دے رکھی ہے اور دہشت گردی کی کارروائیوں کے خلاف حکومت کی جانب سے کاروائی نہ کیا جانا تشویشناک ہے۔
ایم کیو ایم کے رہنما حیدر عباس رضوی نے کہا کہ پہلی مارچ سے اب تک مختلف دہشت گردی کے واقعات میں 65 سیاسی کارکنان دہشت گردی کا شکار ہوئے ہیں۔ انھوں نے کہا کہ بائیں بازو کی تینوں جماعتوں نے فیصلہ کی ہے کہ دہشت گردی کے سامنے ہتھیار نہیں ڈالیں گے۔
Sources:
http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/108-pakistan-top-news/117375-ppp-mqm-anp-show-unity-against-terrorism.html
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/karachi/29-Apr-2013/terror-attacks-not-to-deter-ppp-mqm-and-anp
http://dawn.com/2013/04/29/terror-attacks-not-to-deter-ppp-mqm-and-anp/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2013/04/130429_election_right_wing_sh.shtml
PPP, MQM, ANP join forces to confront terrorists
Monday, April 29, 2013
From Print Edition
338 9 8 1
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in a telephonic conversation expressed the resolve to launch a joint struggle against terrorism.
They were of the view that only the liberal political parties were being targeted by the terrorist groups with a purpose.
President Zardari, the MQM chief and ANP leader said that the acts of terrorism were rising disproportionately in the three provinces of Pakistan spreading fear and panic as compared to the Punjab.
“It seems only Punjab is Pakistan, as it is the only province where electioneering is being carried out freely while the worst kind of terrorism is continuing in the remaining three provinces of the country,” they added. — Online
According Geo News, President Asif Ali Zardari and Altaf Hussain underscored the need for unity and better understanding among the ‘moderate parties’ in the wake of a surge in terror attacks against them, Geo News reported.
The MQM chief telephoned President Zardari and had an exchange of views in the backdrop of bombings on the offices of the MQM and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which they believed were aimed at keeping these parties away from participating in the upcoming vote.
Both the leaders also expressed sympathies with each other on the demise of PPP and MQM workers in the recent terror attacks. The MQM chief also called up Awami National Party (ANP) Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and discussed the prevailing political scenario in the county.
The future line of action in the wake of terror attacks on their parties also came under discussion.Murtaza Ali Shah from London adds: The MQM and ANP called for an end to the wave of terror attacks against Pakistan’s “liberal and secular political parties”, blaming the caretaker government and security forces for being complicit in these attacks.
In a rare display of unity, the two parties held a joint demonstration here outside the Pakistan High Commission against attacks on their workers as well as of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). In recent weeks, the three parties have been under attack from Taliban terrorists who have bombed the offices of these parties, mainly the ANP, followed by the MQM and PPP.
These parties have alleged that they were being attacked because of their secular, democratic and liberal ideology whilst the terrorists had spared right-leaning parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League factions, Imran Khan’s PTI and others with right-of-centre beliefs. They have also alleged that there was a conspiracy against democratic parties by Taliban were “a well thought out conspiracy that has been concocted to prevent the liberal and enlightened political forces of Pakistan from participating in the upcoming elections.” Anwar pointed out that right-wing parties were running their campaigns freely and peacefully which had made the claim of “free, fair and transparent election highly questionable.”
MQM’s Central Co-ordination Committee member Saleem Shehzad told The News: “The government has shown no seriousness to arrest the criminals. They are not interested in our sufferings. The terrorists and their hideouts are identified but security agencies have handed over some areas to Taliban militants. Rangers, the police and the FC are not doing anything about them. They are well aware that Taliban have set up their bases and independent courts in Suhrab Goth, Mango Pir, Ittehad Town, Pakhtoonabad, Katee Pahari, they beheaded a man in Sohrab Goth and have been openly running their autonomous system yet the security forces have done nothing against them. Isn’t this their complicity?”
In a petition to Pakistan High Commission, the protestors urged the government and the ECP to take prompt action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and its affiliated groups “that are involved in destabilising the country.”
According the Geo News, President Asif Ali Zardari and Altaf Hussain underscored the need for unity and better understanding among the ‘moderate parties’ in the wake of a surge in terror attacks against them, Geo News reported.
The MQM chief telephoned President Zardari and had an exchange of views in the backdrop of bombings on the offices of MQM and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which they believed were aimed at keeping these parties away from participating in the upcoming vote.
Both the leaders also expressed sympathies with each other on the demise of PPP and MQM workers in the recent terror attacks.The MQM chief also called up Awami National Party (ANP) Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and discussed the prevailing political scenario in the county.The future line of action in the wake of terror attacks on their parties also came under discussion.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-22552-PPP-MQM-ANP-join-forces-to-confront-terrorists