Battle of words escalates in Sindh

Tension has soared between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Islamic Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) following the bloody by-elections earlier this month, with both sides accusing the other of bloodletting and violence.

The MMA has been demanding the federal government sack MQM-backed Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad as well as the Sindh provincial government for their alleged role in violence marred by-elections in which at least nine people were killed. Most of the victims belonged to the MMA.

But the MQM, which won all the four seats in by-elections, says that the Islamist alliance had been resorting to the terrorist tactics and tried to steal elections at gunpoint. Police also accuse the MMA of triggering violence first on the polling day. On Monday, the MMA held a mid-level All Parties Conference in which anti-MQM ethnic groups and political parties participated.

Syed Munawar Hasan, the secretary general of the Jamaat-e-Islami, urged the participants to join hands just on one-point agenda of what he called getting rid of the MQM-backed Sindh government.

The APC participants accused several top police officials of openly working as 'workers of the MQM.' "MMA has been shaken by the election results. It is realising that in the next elections they will be wiped out," said a senior MQM leader who asked not to be named.

"During the last three by-elections in Karachi the MMA suffered massive defeats, which underlines the fact that they are losing whatever little ground they had," he said. "The MMA allegations are mere propaganda stunt. The MQM had no reason to rig elections in its strongholds," he said.

Meanwhile, a brewing split in the Muttahida Majlis Amal (MMA) religious alliance has moved closer to a showdown between the bloc's key leaders and its vice-president Maulana Samiul Haq, sources in the grouping said yesterday.

Haq has been embroiled in a row with MMA stalwarts Qazi Hussain Ahmed, acting MMA president, and General Secretary Maulana Fazlur Rehman, over their attitude toward smaller parties in the alliance.