Qazi vows massive protest drive
By Saad Saud

ISLAMABAD—Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Thursday announced to observe protest day today (Friday) against passage of Women Protection Bill (WPB) and mass arrests of party activists during protest rally in different cities of Punjab.
Speaking at a hurriedly called press conference at his residence here, MMA President and Amir Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Qazi Hussain Ahmad reaffirmed his party’s pledge to tender en-bloc resignations from the assemblies adding that those compromising with rulers would be proved American stooge. “I assure you we will only attend National Assembly session, whenever it will meet, to submit our resignations,” he claimed. He said: “An anti-government movement is in the offing across the country which would leave the assemblies meaningless”. Qazi said that their caravan was part of very democratic process, which was forcefully barred to continue and peaceful activists of MMA were arrested which is a shameful act on part of the government.
“We will observe protest on Friday (today) against the arrests and passage of Women Protection Bill, which is clearly violative to the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah,” he said. “The rulers treated me like an enemy. Ours is a peaceful and very democratic struggle, but the rulers are afraid of it,” he said and pledged that their struggle would not stop before removing general Musharraf from the power.
Qazi Hussain Ahmad said he would soon meet former Prime Minister and PML-N Qaied Nawaz Sharif and would ask him to condemn PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto for supporting WPB. He called upon all the opposition parties do not extend support to Musharraf-led government, neither strike a deal with them. “Anyone does so would be proved stooge of the Americans,” he added.
The MMA president said there is no likelihood of free, and open elections under General Musharraf, therefore, the MMA would continue its struggle to remove him from power. Referring to his party’s pledge of en-bloc resignations, Qazi Hussain said they were abided by their promise and would finalize a strategy in their parliamentary party meeting summoned for December 6-7. When asked, he said he wanted to meet Nawaz Sharif, so that he could convey MMA’s message to Benazir Bhutto. “We wanted to meet Benazir Bhutto via Nawaz Sharif compelling her to condemn amendments made in Hudood Ullah,” he said. Meanwhile, speaking in a private TV program, the MMA leader rejected altogether the statement of Punjab Chief Minister Ch. Pervaiz Elahi claiming that his administration has not arrested any activist of MMA during Thursday’s protest rally.