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Qazi says ‘rigged’ polls in AJK a preview of upcoming elections

Staff Report

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said on Saturday that the results of the ‘rigged’ election in Azad Jammu and Kashmir highlighted what was to come in the general elections held under President Pervez Musharraf next year.

He alleged that Musharraf wanted a puppet government in AJK so that he could settle the Kashmir issue in India’s favour and that the AJK Legislative Assembly would stop struggling for the Kashmiris.

He told the concluding session of JI’s Central Training Workshop at Mansoora that people afraid of religion were also afraid of joining the movement against Pakistan’s secular leaders. “Instead, they want fixed elections so that Musharraf can award them seats in parliament,” he said.

The workshop was spread over five days and was held to train JI workers.

Qazi denied rumours of discord in Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) ranks, saying the media had overplayed certain out of context statements by MMA leaders. He said this was part of the government’s campaign to weaken the MMA. Qazi also took strong exception to the closure of the BA (Honours) Islamic Studies programme at Punjab University’s Sheikh Zaid Islamic Centre. This, he said, was done at America’s behest. Qazi said Pakistan was created to protect the identity of Muslims, but currently the Pathans, Punjabis, Sindhis and Baloch were stirring nationalist sentiments.

He condemned the assassination of Allama Hassan Turabi, saying the civil and military bureaucracy could not control lawlessness in Pakistan. He said sectarian strife was being promoted to disintegrate the very foundations of the country.

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