Altaf hints at peace march for religious harmony
27 September, 2012
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has said that it was time for the moderate, progressive, liberal and enlightened people to break their criminal silence and come forward for saving Pakistan. "They should make Pakistan a peaceful, civilized, educated and developed country by getting rid of the religious fanatics," he said while addressing a seminar at a local hotel on Wednesday. He said unless the large majority of the liberal segment of the society came forward, the wave of extremism and violence by religious extremists would continue unabated in the country. Hussain said that a peace march could be organised by MQM for promoting religious harmony if people belonging to different schools of thought and followers of different faiths gave support. He said that he was the first to write condemnatory letters to US President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary General of the United States stressing upon them to respect the religious sensibilities of over 1.5 billion Muslims throughout the world. He declared that the liberal, enlightened and moderate Muslims would have to decide if they would surrender abjectly in front of bloodthirsty and uneducated terrorists or wage a struggle against them for living a life of honour and dignity. "Their silence would not free the country from the clutches of looters, plunderers and terrorists." Hussain warned that if the people continued to behave in a servile manner in front of terrorists who had smeared the name of Islam and Pakistan in the world, a time may come when these terrorists would storm into their houses, abduct their women and slaughter them under the name of the prophet and Allah. He said that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was sent as a mercy for the entire world. What was the rationale behind killing our own people during protests against the sacrilegious film while the maker of the film was ensconced in comfort in the United States. He said that the terrorists who had vandalized properties, looted bank ATMs, burnt down cinema houses, petrol pumps, restaurants, police mobiles, cars and motorcycles had sent a highly negative image of Islam throughout the world. He asked if there was any difference left between the maker of the blasphemous film and the violent protesters. He said that a church was set ablaze by the terrorists on the pretext of expressing love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and said that this would entice non-Muslims to attack our places of worship. He said that the liberal, democratic, progressive and secular people would have to forget their differences for the larger interest of the country and for saving Pakistan. He particularly appealed to the younger generation and students to make Pakistan a developed and educated country. End.
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