 |
|
Supporters
of opposition parties hold Bhutto’s picture
|
LAHORE,
Pakistan, Sept 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Pakistani police
Saturday, September 07, 2002, briefly detained leaders of five Islamic
opposition parties, claiming they violated curbs on campaigning before
next month's elections. The leaders dubbed the arrests “another blow
to democracy”.
The
14 central and provincial leaders of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) -
an alliance of six religious parties - were released later Saturday
without charge.
However,
party chiefs described the arrests as another blow to democracy before
the October 10 parliamentary elections, which will be the first since
army chief Pervez Musharraf seized power in October 1999, reported
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The
14 leaders were detained at the railway station in the eastern city of
Lahore after they violated a ban on political gatherings at stations,
city police chief Javed Noor told AFP.
"They
have been booked for violating Section 144, under which no gathering
of more than five people is allowed around railway stations," he
said.
Police
arrested them as they arrived to board a train for an 800-kilometre
(500-mile) campaign journey to Sukkur in southern Sindh province.
Last
month the military government relaxed a ban on most public political
activities, in force since Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup
in October 1999.
Campaign
rail journeys known as "train marches" are legal but rallies
at stations are banned.
Police
detained leaders of five parties - Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Shah
Ahmed Noorani, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Allama Sajid Naqvi and Maulana
Samiul Haq - plus nine provincial leaders and 16 workers.
At
Multan and Khanewal elsewhere in Punjab province, police blocked roads
to the stations to stop MMA supporters from hearing speeches by party
leaders.
The
parties making up MMA are Jamaat-i-Islami, two factions of Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, Ahle-Hadith and a Shiite
party. One party leader did not attend the station gathering in
Lahore.
"This
is a fascist act by a dictator," said Maulana Fazlur Rehman,
leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, speaking from a police station, AFP
reported.
"We
will continue to struggle for the restoration of democracy," said
Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of Jamaat-i-Islami.
Hours
later Rehman said police told the 14 they could go.
Asked
if they would resume the "train march," he said the leaders
"are considering other options because we have to maintain
contact with our people."
The
main challenge to pro-government parties will come from the 15-party
Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD).
This
includes the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian of former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of
fellow former Premier Nawaz Sharif.
Bhutto
was banned from standing while Sharif last month withdrew his
candidacy in what he called an act of solidarity with his former
rival.
ARD
chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, commenting on Saturday's arrests,
accused the government of "playing tricks with the nation and the
world" in the name of restoring democracy.
"What
kind of democracy do they want to restore when political parties are
not allowed mass contact?" Khan told AFP.
On
Friday, September 6, the leader of Pakistan's opposition alliance said
it would launch its campaign for the October 10 parliamentary polls
with a mass rally this month.
The
ARD will hold the rally in the eastern city of Lahore on September 15,
said Khan.
Khan
said the decision to launch the campaign was taken late Thursday,
September 5, at a meeting of leaders of all 15 alliance parties.
The
alliance and the MMA vowed to fight to overturn constitutional
amendments announced by Musharraf, which extend his term as President
and army chief for five years and give him the power to sack
parliament.
Musharraf
also formalized a new National Security Council, headed by him and
including the military top brass, to oversee the performance of
elected governments.
Musharraf
left for a week-long tour of the United States. He will take part in a
ceremony in New York to mark the first anniversary of the September 11
attacks and will address the UN General Assembly.
|
|
-
Report: After 9/11 Muslims
Witnessed The Good, Bad & Ugly
-
Afghans: We Are
Ready for Jihad Against U.S.
-
Powell:
Accusations of unilateralism, or non-multilateralism, Are Clichés
-
Afghan and Pakistani Forces Clash
Briefly Over Carpets
-
Bush Calls for Homeland Security
Department with Broad Powers, Deep Pockets
-
Dip in Investments in Arab World
Since 9/11 Despite Improvement in U.S. Economy
-
Sharon Says He Will Not Dismantle
Rogue Settlements
-
Pakistan's Musharraf Heads to U.S.
for Meeting with Bush, UN Address
-
Malaysia Seriously Cracking Down
On Software Piracy
-
Muslim Group “Sweep” Malaysian
Illegal Workers Out Of Indonesia
-
Israel Accused of Whitewash over Palestinian Civilian Deaths
-
Israeli Raid Prelude to Offensive against Gaza Strip: Palestinians
-
U.S., UN Ignored Warning of 9/11 Attacks: Press Report
-
Pakistan Police Detain Islamic Party Leaders to Thwart Rally
-
Bush Listens to Blair, Tries First to Build Case for Attacking Iraq: Report
-
U.S. Probe Justifies Bombing Afghan Wedding, Killing Dozens
A
Year after Sept 11
-
9/11
Brought Muslims, Non-Muslims Closer: Analysts
-
Bush
to Make National Address on Sept 11, Will Lay Wreath At “Ground Zero”
-
Anti-Terror
War Cover Rights Abuses in U.S. & Worldwide
-
Ridge:
No Credible Threats for 9/11, Confident of Homeland Approval
-
ISNA
Convention Calls for Self-Reflection, Activism Among Muslims
-
American
Teaching Unions Argue Over What Children Should Be Told About 9/11
-
Post
9-11 U.S. Foreign Policies Aggressive, Unilateral: U.S. Report
-
Palestine
… Three Massacres in 5 days 
-
Homeless in Minutes
-
War on Iraq.. World Reaction
|
|
|
|
|
|
