KARACHI - Minister of State for Ports and Shipping Nabil Ahmad Gabol has appealed to the ruling coalition partners, the MQM and Awami National Party (ANP), to withdraw their calls for rallies and strike on May 12 and said that the government has planned to launch an operation against extortionists in Karachi. Addressing a news conference along with Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis Rafique Engineer at Karachi Press Club here on Tuesday, Nabil Gabol urged the MQM and ANP to withdraw their calls for rallies and strike in Karachi on May 12 and said that such moves might provide external forces a chance to further deteriorate peace as they did on 12th May 2007. He requested MQM chief Altaf Hussain and ANP head Asfandyar Wali to withdraw their calls and avoid politics of strikes and agitation in the larger interest of the country. Why they are giving such calls when they are also part of the coalition in the present government, he asked. Gabol said that external forces wanted to destabilise and disintegrate Pakistan. Our country can not afford chaos and it would be detrimental to the stability of Pakistan if coalition partners would allow such forces to implement their nefarious designs during the rallies and strike, he added. The Minister suggested holding a joint public gathering of PPP, MQM and ANP in Karachi on May 12 to pay rich tribute to martyrs of 12th May 2007 instead of separate calls of rallies and strike. He noted that persons, who lost their lives in Karachi on 12th May 2007, mostly were PPP workers. There is a clear difference between 12th May 2007 and 12th May 2009, as in past, a dictator was ruling the country while now it is being ruled by a democratic government, he said adding some anti-democracy elements have been entered in our ranks and files and their conspiracies against coalition government should be foiled. Responding to a question about the growing activities of terrorists and extortionists in Karachi, Nabil Gabol said extortionists were not present only in Lyari but also in all parts of Karachi. Some extortionists in Lyari have also tried to take money in my name. The present government has decided that first an ultimatum would be given to extortionists and other criminal elements to voluntary disarm themselves, and an operation would be launched against them if they failed to comply, Gabol said.