The families of six army officers arrested last year for having links with Al Qaeda contacted the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) to help them get the officers released, a source in the religious parties alliance told Daily Times on Wednesday. The army officers were also accused of involvement in plots to kill General Pervez Musharraf last year. Major Adil Qadoos was arrested on March 1, Col Abdul Ghaffar and Major Roheel Faraz on March 4, Col Khalid Mahmood on March 30, Major Ataullah Watoo on May 26, and Captain Dr Usman Zafar was arrested in August 2003. According to the MMA source, the families of these officers are not allowed to meet them and officials have been pressurising them not to protest their arrests. The families told the MMA that the officers were suffering from serious ailments. "Col Khalid has kidney problems and Major Adil is a heart patient.
| My heart bleeds. They should have thought about that before they became involved in an assassination plot... |
| Mighty convenient time to fall ill, eh? |
No allegation and charge sheet has been presented so far. The MMA must play an active role to release the detainees."
| Of course they should. It was an Islamist assassination plot, after all. Who better to put a fix in than MMA? |
According to the source, MMA leaders told the families that they should wait patiently while the case is in court, but that the matter would be taken up at their next supreme council meeting. It remains to be seen whether the MMA is in a position to help these families or is willing open a new front against the government. |
