JI sees Zardari behind efforts to unite MQM splinter groups

Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has termed the Sindh governor’s efforts for unifying various factions and splinter groups of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) a political move by the Pakistan Peoples Party to doom the future of Karachi.

In a statement issued on Friday, Rehman said that merging with another party was a right of any party but the unnatural and forced merger of various factions of the MQM was a different case. He remarked that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori were brokering a deal for the merger of MQM splinter groups under a nefarious agenda. However, such efforts were bound to reverse in the near future, he added.

Rehman was of the view that some forces wanted to plunder the resources of Karachi, the economic nerve of the country. He added that the next step, if the merger took place, would be depriving the people of Karachi of their bright future, due rights, and development for the sake of monetary benefits and perks to key leaders of the MQM and PPP.

The JI leader claimed that there were reports that stated that some key officials of the K-Electric, which he termed a powerful mafia in Karachi, and some retired officers were playing a nefarious role under the plan of Zardari and Tessori to get the MQM factions unified.

“Why didn’t you put forward the condition of an empowered local government setup in Karachi at the time of the regime change when you were bargaining for ministries and perks?” he asked the MQM leadership.

“What did the city get as a result of the MQM’s ministries and governorship during the past three-and-a-half decades in Sindh?” he asked. The city got no new or upgrade of water supply projects during the past 17 years despite the fact that the MQM had its mayor twice, Rehman stated.

He remarked that the people of Karachi would reject all those who joined hands with the PPP. The MQM was part of the government when the local government law was amended in 2013 and the party remained part of the ruling coalition in the times to come, the JI leader said, adding that the MQM and PPP were hands in glove to ruin the city of lights.

Lambasting the PPP, the Karachi JI chief said the party did not believe in democracy as neither did it want the restoration of student unions not local governments. He said the local bodies elections in the city should be held on January 15, 2023, at any cost in order to address the burning issues of Karachi. He went on to say that the Election Commission of Pakistan and provincial election commission had separately written letters to the Sindh government, directing it to withdraw and reverse its recent illegal appointments, but the PPP government had been defying those orders.

Rehman said the JI would hold an unconventional event at the Bagh-e-Jinnah on January 8, 2023, to announce its Karachi declaration. He explained that the party would announce its future course of action as well as educational, political and social agenda for the megalopolis.

He also invited all political workers to join the party in order to work together for the betterment, development and progress of the city. The JI leader also condemned action against peaceful protesters in Gwadar and demanded the release all those who had been arrested. He added that the demands of the protesters were genuine and all the stakeholders should sit together to come up with a durable solution in connection with the core demands of the protesters.