Pak. Govt. invites religious groups for talks

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, DEC. 28. Concerned over the growing threat from the religious parties and organisations, the military government has invited various leaders of the Islamic groups for talks.

The meeting to be held on January 13 in Islamabad is to seek their co-operation in `maintaining law and order'.

The Interior Minister, Lt. Gen. (retd) Moinuddin Haider, who made the announcement in Karachi has been quoted as saying that ``no one will be allowed to break law and the Government will take all measures to maintain peace in the country''.

The initiative for talks comes even as the Jamaat-e- Islami (JI) is to launch an agitation next week in protest against the exile deal of the former Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif.

The JI has been very strident in its criticism of the military regime. Its chief, in a statement recently, had demanded that the generals within the Army replace Gen. Musharraf as ``he has become a national security risk''.

The argument of the JI chief, Quazi Ahmed, is that Gen. Pervez Musharraf cannot be trusted after the manner in which his Government entered into a deal with the former Prime Minister.

Another religious outfit, Tanzeemul Akhwan, had threatened to march into Islamabad with three lakh volunteers in support of its demand for enforcement of Shariah (Islamic rule) in the country.

It took a great deal of persuasion on the part of the military Government to defer the march. It now stands postponed to March after Religious Affairs Minister, Mr. Mahmood Ghazi, assured the Tanzeemul Ikhwan's chief, Akram Awan, that steps were being taken to implement Sharia.

The jehadi group, comprising of senior retired Army officers, has been demanding for long enforcement of Shariat. Maulana Awan's contention is Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and yet Islamic Shariah was not enforced.

The Government's argument is that there is a blanket ban on holding rallies and demonstrations. However in the past, it had permitted religious organisations to hold meetings despite ban on rallies and demonstrations. Two months ago the JI held a massive congregation near Islamabad and around the same time the militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, was allowed to hold a meeting in Karachi.

The Government was criticised for following different standards for various organisations. The explanation from the government was the organisers had sought permission for in-door meetings and later violated the commitment.

Shiite cleric gunned down

PTI reports:

Gunmen took a Shiite Muslim cleric from his home in Karachi, shot and killed him, police said today.

Muslim Hussein, the cleric of a nearby Shiite Muslim mosque, was at home in Orangi district yesterday when the two men stormed in, took him outside and shot him, they said. His wife was wounded when she ran outside to help her husband, police said.

A second man, also a Shiite Muslim, was killed earlier yesterday in Karachi. It is not clear whether the two killings were related, police said.

No one has taken responsibility for the killings, but police believe it was carried out by followers of the militant Sunni Muslim group, Sipah-e-Sahaba or Guardians of the Friends of the Prophet.

The group has been blamed for scores of killings of Shiite Muslims, whom they revile as non-Muslims.

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Section  : International
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