Date : 17th March, 1998.

'No stop to operation in Karachi since 1992'

KARACHI: Muttehida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has said that there has been no stop to 'operation Karachi ' since 1992 and it is still in progress with a varying pace. While briefing a group of Islamabad journalists at '90' on Sunday, the MQM elected  representatives said that despite being coalition partners of the government their party workers were being victimised.  Hundreds of the workers and party loyalists are languishing in jails without a single hearing of cases   registered against them. Though the punishment in these cases is not more than few months, they are behind  the bars for the last four years, said Senator Aftab Shaikh. He added that the elected members of  their party could not enter their homes because their residences were in 'no go areas'.

To a question why their party is still staying in the government despite facing such a  situation, he replied that the governments were  helpless to take any decision as the things were controlled by state  powers. Aftab said that he did not bail out Benazir because the party had found that her intentions were  malafide but "we have not yet found any doubt in the intentions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif." When  asked if their party has opposed national stand on Kashmir, he said that this was a baseless propaganda.

To a question about Chief Minister Liaqat Jatoi's remarks that it was the problem of only 1200 workers, he said that it was not the same as it was the matter of 1200 families which had been displaced by the criminal elements. He demanded the government to arrest all those against whom  cases have been filed by his party including Afaq Ahmad. About MQM's demand for release of its  workers, he said that this was also a misinterpretation of the MQMs version. He said that the MQM had  been demanding from the coalition partners the release of only those workers who were arrested over  two years ago and were still waiting for appearance before the court.