KARACHI: Workers and supporters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement flocked to the Quaid`s mausoleum on Sunday to express solidarity with their leader Altaf Hussain who they claimed had become a victim of an international character assassination campaign.

A protest demonstration organised by the MQM on the New M. A. Jinnah Road outside the Quaid`s mausoleum condemned what it called international conspiracies against the party and Mr Hussain and a documentary recently aired by BBC which the party termed a media trial.

Similar programmes were held in several other cities and towns of Sindh.

Carrying tri-colour MQM flags, processions of MQM workers and sympathisers, including women and children, from different parts of thecity converged on the venue. They wore white bands around their heads inscribed with `I am Altaf` a statement of allegiance to their leader.

The charged crowd raised slogans when senior MQM leader Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui announced that people gathered there were ready to face any charge before Mr Hussain was implicated in any case.

`If Altaf Hussain is an accused then we all are co-accused...try us first,` he said.

He said Karachi was the city of Altaf Hussain and its people proved that it would remain his fortress. `This city has given its verdict...now any international decision against Quaid-iTehrik Altaf Hussain was of little worth.`Dr Siddiqui, who is deputy convenor of the Muttahida coordination committee, said the media trial of his party was aimed at tarnishing the image of the MQM and its leader, but one day all those currently accusing Mr Hussain would have to apologise.

He said that Mr Hussain always preached patience and forgiveness. But, he added, his followers were always ready to sacrifice their lives to protect their leader.

Dr Farooq Sattar, the leader of MQM`s parliamentary party in the National Assembly, lashed out at the BBC for what he called becoming`investigator, prosecutor and judge`.

He said the MQM would wage a constitutional and democratic struggle to prevent any institution from acting as a judge and prosecutor.

Dr Sattar said the negative propaganda against Mr Hussain was not only a violation of all norms of journalism and freedom of the press but also a plot against the solidarity of Pakistan.

Another MQM leader, Hyder Abbas Rizvi, linked the `propaganda` against Mr Hussain to his stand against Talibanisation and said that those conspiring against the MQM chief knew that they had to suppress his voice if they wanted Talibanisation of Pakistan.Aamir Khan, Faisal Subzwari and other Muttahida leaders pledged their allegiance to Mr Hussain and said that no-one would ever succeed in any conspiracy to sever the relation between `Haq parast people` and their leader Altaf Hussain.

They said the media trial of Mr Hussain and all conspiracies at national and international levels against him must be stopped immediately if people at the helm of affairs wanted to save Pakistan.

The demonstrators later dispersed peacefully.

In Khairpur and Badin, rallies were taken out by MQM workers from their zonal offices to the local press club.