JI asks ECP, institutions to take notice of MQM’s threat to ‘sabotage’ LG polls

Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has demanded of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the federal government and state institutions to take notice of the threats allegedly hurled against a constitutional and legal process by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI Karachi headquarters, on Thursday, he said all groups of the MQM had conspired collectively to deprive the Karachiites of their due constitutional and democratic rights. He dubbed the open threats as a conspiracy to ruin the law and order in the city once again, saying the Pakistan People Party government in Sindh was hand in glove with the MQM for this conspiracy.

Rehman made it clear that the JI had already defeated fascism and terrorism in the past and would continue its struggle for the rights of the Karachiites and to mitigate their miseries. He reiterated his demand to ensure free and fair local bodies elections were held on January 15 as per the schedule.

He also demanded deployment of army and Rangers personnel in a static position at polling stations to avoid any untoward incident. The JI leader said the refusal to deploy army and Rangers troops by the interior ministry in response to an ECP letter was an open violation of the law and the constitution’s Article 220, as it would pave the way to set free the rigging mafia. He said the JI had also written a letter to the army chief, the corps commander and the director general of the Sindh Rangers for the deployment of army and Rangers personnel during the elections in Karachi.

Rehman rejected all the claims by the MQM, saying that the fascist party always bargained the mandate of Karachi for petty benefits and perks. He said the MQM could have taken a stand at the time of its bargaining during the regime change, and that the party also played a nefarious game against Karachi and Karachiites by notifying the flawed results of the last census.

He said the JI had been in the political arena of Karachi with the full support of the Karachiites and would not allow the MQM to deprive the citizens of their due rights. He urged the people to come forward on January 15 for casting their votes in order to foil the conspiracy for sabotaging the local government elections.

Without naming the reunification of the MQM factions, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Asad Umar said the marriage that took place in Karachi on Thursday was forced, and the bride was looking sad.

The season of forced marriages had come not only to Karachi, also but to the whole country, he said while addressing a convention of his party at Latifabad Chowk in Hyderabad. Hyderabad is an important city of the province where the old and new Sindh meets, Umar said, adding Nasir Hussain Shah and Sharjeel Memon had come to Lahore with full bags and calls started coming from unknown numbers from the other side saying that the PTI had no future, and a red line had been drawn on Imran Khan.

He said that on Wednesday, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was saying that the PTI had fraudulently taken the vote of confidence in the Punjab Assembly, and earlier he had been making arrogant statements.

He said the citizens of Hyderabad had to come out of their homes on January 15 and cast votes for the bat to say that “slavery is not accepted”. A large number of people attended the convention to listen to the expected address of Imran Khan through video link, but at the last moment, the address was postponed.

Separately, Sindh PTI spokesperson and Member Provincial Assembly Arslan Taj, while reacting to the MQM-P press conference regarding het reunification of its factions, said the PTI knew that the garbage of Karachi was going to be dumped under the MQM-P banner.