Govt continuing Musharraf’s policies: Qazi

LAHORE - Justifying the APDM decision to boycott the election, Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed has said that nothing has been changed in the last nine months and the present government was continuing the policies of Musharraf regime.

He was addressing a gathering outside Lahore Railway Station on Tuesday on the conclusion of first phase of train march.

The marchers received a poor response in the city as around 1,000 people were there outside the Railway Station to welcome them as none was allowed to step on the platform for the purpose. The park facing the railway station was allowed entry only through a security gate. The police were blocking all roads leading to the station and besieged the venue closing its all other entrances.

The security cordon was so tight that even the vehicle carrying Qazi to the venue was not allowed entry though local leaders introduced themselves to the police. The JI Lahore had arranged an Eid milan party at the park and had invited comic poets to attract people other than its activists for ensuring a better gathering to welcome the train marchers.

Welcome banners had been displayed all around the railway station, while the party had already pasted posters and distributed handbills among the area people about the train march. On way to Lahore from Peshawar, the Jamaat chief had addressed at 15 railway stations to the gathering came to welcome the marchers in various towns.

Addressing the participants amid slogans, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said that the people were expecting change after the defeat of kings’ party in the last general election but it did not happen. He said that the APDM boycotted the last election, as the component parties were sure that it would prove a futile exercise.

He said that Dr A Q Khan was still in detention and he (A Q Khan) was even not allowed to offer Eid prayer. He said that the rulers were handing over own citizens to the US for money.