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Published 20 May, 2007 12:00am

UK students’ move against ‘hate preachers’

LONDON, May 19: About 25 Pakistani students studying at top UK institutions and a couple of finance and media professionals have said they plan to lobby the UK government to dissuade British citizens from fomenting and inciting trouble back home by making hate speeches over the telephone.

They met at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) here on Friday night to discuss the deteriorating political and law and order situation back home in the wake of May 12 Karachi carnage.

The students who belong to Oxford and Cambridge universities, London School of Economics and the SOAS and representing all the four provinces have styled themselves as “May 12 Group”.

The group said if any Pakistani holding dual nationality wanted to do politics in Pakistan, he/she should first give up his/her British citizenship and then return to Pakistan to lead his/her party.

They also said it was incumbent on the UK government to effectively discourage its citizens from inciting through telephonic speeches their followers in Pakistan to go on bloody rampage.

Those studying law were of the opinion that if it was illegal for British citizens to deliver hate speeches inside the UK, it should be equally illegal for them to make such speeches over the telephone and foment trouble in friendly countries.

Referring to Imran Khan’s announcement that he intended to approach the British courts against those UK citizens who, he alleged, had encouraged their political workers in Karachi to show whose city it was, come what may on May 12, the group said it would provide the Tehrik-i-Insaf chief all legal and other help he would need in this regard.The group is also planning to publish leaflets recounting in black and white the May 12 carnage, stage walks, hold seminars and lobby MPs of all political parties here to mobilise public opinion in favour of their mission.

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