Muttahida factions demand PM stop ‘election fraud’ in Karachi, Hyderabad

Leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) on Wednesday asked the prime minister to tell them whether or not he was responsible for the situation of Karachi and Hyderabad so that the party could accordingly decide about staying with or leaving the federal government.

They were speaking at a demonstration outside the office of the Provincial Election Commission Sindh against what they said the biased constituencies made by the Sindh government, flawed voter lists and incorrect census results.

The MQM-P protest was not only attended by the party’s convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, deputy conveners, members of the coordination committee, senators, and national and provincial assembly members but also leaders of splinter groups and factions of the party such as MQM Restoration Committee chief Dr Farooq Sattar, Pakistan Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Mustafa Kamal, PSP President Anis Ahmad Kaimkhani and Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) Vice-Chairman Muhammad Shahid participated in it.

Addressing the protesters, the MQM-P convener said that the pre-poll rigging had been done in the urban areas of Sindh. The state could not conduct a proper census, he said, adding that the urban areas of Sindh earned 97 per cent of the province’s revenue but others stole it.

He claimed that the Pakistan Peoples Party had made union committees (UC) inclusive of 30,000 voters in areas dominated by its supporters while the number of voters in a UC in Mohajir-dominated areas was more than 90,000. “This is clear violation of the law,” he said.

Dr Siddiqui remarked that the Muhajir community had just started a struggle for its survival. “If we do not contest the local bodies polls on Sunday, there would be no elections in this city. The Election Commission should give an answer to the public how the Sindh government has done gerrymandering in the presence of the Election Commission. Such a democracy would be considered worthless if its benefits do not reach the common Pakistanis,” the MQM-P convener said.

He said the MQM-P was not blackmailing the prime minister as it was waging a struggle for the rights of Karachi and Hyderabad. “If Karachi comes to the streets, it will be difficult for the government to control the situation,” he warned.

PSP Chairman Kamal said Karachi was the city of those who ran Pakistan. “Those who wanted to occupy this city by destroying it, their dreams have been shattered after this public gathering. There is no Rahman Malik who will make decisions on a phone call,” he added.

Kamal said the Sindh chief minister was the incharge of sewerage and water supply lines. “Such a system does not exist in any civilised country, but in Pakistan, this happened because of the hereditary political parties.”

He called for devolving powers to each district, town and village of the province. “Today, all these powers are within the Chief Minister's House,” he remarked. He warned that if injustices to Karachi continued, there would be no peace in any part of the country.

Kamal was of the view that Asif Ali Zardari wanted to make his son the prime minister of Pakistan, but he could not do that without the support of Karachi. “Today, I tell the institutions that the differences and enmities between the citizens have ended. Today, everyone has gathered at one place for their rights. Today, the Baloch of Lyari and the Pakhtun of Katti Pahari are also present here,” the PSP chairman said.

Dr Sattar alleged that the biggest gerrymandering and pre-poll rigging of the history had been done in Karachi. He said the protest had proved that a new kind of politics would be taking place in the city. “The Mohajirs will not let this conspiracy succeed. The oppressed are gathered in one place. The struggle against the feudal lords will continue,” said Dr Sattar.

He called for the Election Commission of Pakistan and judiciary to do justice. The Mohajir community would not accept the results of the local bodies election if the injustices were not corrected, he added.

The MQM-Haqiqi vice president said on the occasion that Haqiqi would be part of every struggle for the rights of the Mohajir community. “We have been raising our voice against the gerrymandering. We will continue our struggle in the future until we succeed in getting our rights.” He, however, announced that despite all its reservations, the Haqiqi would not boycott the local government elections.