MQM DENOUNCES KILLINGS OF SHIA WORKERS

KARACHI: 9^TH JANUARY 2010:

The Co-ordination Committee of Muttahida Quami Movement has denounced the efforts to fan sectarian differences in Sindh by killing MQM workers belonging to the Shiite community. In a Press Conference at Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall, member of MQM Co-ordination Committee Wasay Jalil said that there was a deep seated conspiracy to create sectarian strife in the city by killing MQM workers belonging to Shiite community. Other members of the Co-ordination Committee  Kunwar Khalid Yunus, Gulfaraz Khattak, Ashfaq Mangi and Yousuf Shahwani also present.

Wasay Jalil said that Mr Altaf Hussain has always worked for promoting religious harmony and it was because of his untiring efforts that the Shia-Sunni strife in the city ended and the two communities started living together peacefully. When the disgruntled elements could not incite violence in the city on sectarian lines because of efforts of Mr Altaf Hussain and practical steps taken by MQM, they changed their line of action and started killing MQM workers belonging to the Shiite community. Wasay Jalil said that it was a deep rooted conspiracy to disenchant the Shiite community from MQM and to sabotage the efforts of MQM towards promoting religious and sectarian harmony.

“Shia workers of MQM are being targeted relentlessly. The conspiracy started with the brutal murder of member of the Provincial Assembly Raza Haider who was killed in a mosque where he had gone to attend a funeral. The murder of Joint Sector In-charge of MQM Nazimabad Gulbahar Sector Adil Akhtar Jafri on 3^rd January 2011 and senior worker of PIB Sector Yawar Abbas on 8^th January 2011 is a sequel of the same nefarious conspiracy. Soon after this Asim Abbas who is Sector Member of Hyderabad Zone Sector ‘’ H ’’ was fired upon in Hyderabad. He is fighting for his life in a hospital in critical condition.”

Wasay Jalil decried that on the one hand MQM workers were being targeted in broad day light in the city, text messages were being sent on mobile phones to alienate Shiite people from MQM. He said that it was obvious that a conspiracy was afoot to fan the fire of hate and enmity but he warned that it was the firm resolve of each and every worker of MQM that the efforts of Mr Altaf Hussain would not go in vain.

Wasay Jalil said that it was MQM that was worst hit by incidents of target killings. He appealed to intellectuals, politicians, religious scholars to raise their voice over the target-killings of MQM workers.

Wasay Jalil demanded of President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Governor Sindh Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Sindh to arrest the killers of MQM workers and give them exemplary punishments.