ANP urges chief justice

ANP urges chief justice

Wednesday, May 13, 2009
to probe May 12 massacre

Tauseef-ur-Rahman

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) Tuesday demanded of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to launch a judicial inquiry into May 12, 2007 mayhem and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The nationalist party also demanded registration of FIR against former president General (R) Pervez Musharraf and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leadership for massacre of Pakhtuns on the fateful day.

“Judiciary in its real sense has now been restored and we demand and expect that the apex court will take up the matter and do justice to the people who lost their near and dear ones on May 12,” acting president of the party Haji Muhammad Adeel said while addressing a seminar held in connection with May 12.

The seminar was organised by Peshawar city district chapter of the ANP. He said that 39 ANP members were killed on that fateful day. “Our party members were on the roads for the cause of judiciary and they came out to welcome the chief justice. We hope the honourable chief justice to do justice in this regard,” he said.

Haji Adeel said that it was the victory of ANP that the Sindh government had announced a public holiday to mourn the day. He said that the entire Sindh province was mourning the bloodshed of May 12, while Altaf Hussain ordered to raise national flag on buildings. “Normally the flags are on half mast on day of mourning while he ordered to raise flags, he should be ashamed of his decision,” the ANP leader said.

Terming the MQM as Muttahida Qatil (murders) Movement, Adeel alleged that it had made hostage the people of Karachi. “The people are coerce into attend Altaf Hussain’s telephonic addresses by his men,” the ANP leader said.

“In Karachi Pakhtuns are deprived of getting national identity cards, domicile and cannot register their names in voter lists,” he said and added that gone are the days when MQM ruled the port city. “Now ANP is a major political force in the port city and will expose MQM and hold it answerable for atrocities it meted out to Pakhtuns,” he said.

NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour said that ANP supported the restoration of judiciary and had paid heavy price for the cause. He said democracy could not flourish without an independent judiciary.

Bilour came down hard on the MQM, saying that the party was a one-man show controlled from abroad. He said that it was easy to issue statements from abroad. “If Altaf Hussain is so much worried for people of Pakistan he should come to the country and share the grief of the people,” Bashir said.

He requested the chief justice of Pakistan to probe the gory incident of May 12. Tajuddin Khan, provincial secretary general of ANP, said that the ANP’s history was full of sacrifices and it would continue to fight for the rights of Pakhtuns. He alleged that atrocities meted out to innocent people by MQM and militants were the same. ANP Peshawar City President Malik Mustafa and provincial spokesman Arbab Tahir also spoke on the occasion.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=177279