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Published 21 Nov, 2004 12:00am

MMA files two motions in NA: Hyderabad deaths, democracy

ISLAMABAD Nov 20: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has filed two adjournment motions in the National Assembly secretariat to debate what it termed the government's efforts to sabotage the opposition's democratic movement and 17 deaths caused by poisonous liquor in Hyderabad.

Through the first adjournment motion, the MMA pointed out a newspaper advertisement published in the name of what it termed an anonymous organisation called 'Tehrik Istehkam Pakistan' which urged the people to remain aloof from the opposition's movement.

It said: "The fact of the matter is that the government has come down to (resorting to) negative tactics to misguide the masses to sabotage the opposition's constitutional and democratic movement. Millions of rupees are being spent from the national exchequer for this purpose on these advertisements."

The motion, signed by Liaqat Baloch, Hafiz Husain Ahmed, Sahibzada Abul Khair, Mohammad Zubair, Dr Fareed Ahmed Piracha, Asadullah Bhutto, Abdus Sattar Afghani, Maulana Abdul Malik, Mohammad Laeeq Khan, Dr Ataur Rahman, Shabbir Ahmed Khan and Maulana Abdul Malik said: "The people at large are anxious to know the reality of so called 'Tehirk Istehkame Pakistan' and it must be debated."

Through the second adjournment motion, the religious alliance invited the government's attention towards the deaths of 17 people who were said to be liquor addicts and scores of others who had been admitted to hospitals in Hyderabad because of the use of poisonous liquor. It is signed by the same members, including Qari Gul Rahman, Mohammad Hussain Mehnati and Sabir Hussain Awan.

The alliance expressed concern over what it termed the allowance of liquor consumption in an ideological country like Pakistan, adding that it had caused numerous deaths in the past as well.

The motion said that despite repeated demands of implementation of law concerning a complete ban on the use of liquor, the authorities concerned had been demonstrating negligence which caused so many deaths.

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