The establishment should treat us as equal citizens: Altaf

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain called upon the establishment to consider its supporters equal citizens.
He pointed out the mistakes committed in the past by both the MQM and the establishment and said that the MQM would apologise to the establishment for the mistakes committed by it. He said that his party wanted to see Pakistan progressing.
He said this while addressing a massive MQM election rally on the Karimabad flyover on Saturday. He said the establishment should accept them as true Pakistanis. “We ask for forgiveness from the establishment for the mistakes we committed in the past. We will also forgive their mistakes in return”, said Altaf.
He requested the establishment to stop judging them as strangers and treat them as equal citizens of Pakistan.
The rally was a massive show of strength for the MQM, with thousands of workers and supporters of the party gathering at short notice. A huge portrait of Altaf Hussain was displayed at the Karimabad flyover and party flags were hoisted at buildings adjacent to the flyover.
The entire area echoed with the party song, ‘Mazloomon Ka saathi hai Altaf Hussain’ and the enthusiastic supporters danced to the tune of party songs.
Hussain predicted a landslide victory in the forthcoming election in NA-246 and congratulated in advance the MQM candidate Kunwar Naveed Jameel.
The MQM’s graph had never gone down, Altaf said, maintaining that the MQM’s graph had only risen. “Participants of the rally must display exemplary discipline to make the world know that the people still love Altaf Hussain”, said Hussain and added that analysts should judge the party’s popularity by the massive attendance of people at such short notice.
Altaf Hussain said that even the drone camera failed to capture this mammoth meeting. He said that even combined, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) could not beat the MQM. He said that the MQM would give a message of love to both these parties on April 23.
Altaf Hussain said that the MQM was a liberal and progressive party. “The JI is a branch of al-Qaeda”, he alleged. “Do the people want the Taliban and their supporters in Karachi or the MQM?” he questioned. He said that the PTI was also the ‘political branch’ of the Taliban. He said that the opponents of the MQM must have panicked after seeing this show of public support.
“I congratulate Kunwar Naveed Jamil on winning this election in advance”, said Altaf Hussain.
He said the people of Karachi had proved today that they wanted the MQM in Karachi, not terrorists. He said that this rally had broken all previous records.
Addressing the international community, he said that the MQM stood for equal opportunities for all the segments of society. He said that Pakistan would be a truly democratic country under an MQM government. He said that the MQM wanted respect for all religions and unity among them. He said that nobody would be discriminated against on the basis of religion in an MQM government.
“The MQM wants to break the status quo in the country and wants to bring positive changes in the country. We want to provide people with freedom, food, electricity and clean drinking water”, he added. He said that the MQM was against all forms of violence. “We want an end to the class system in Pakistan”, he said.
He also asked the government of Pakistan to call a session of the Security Council of the United Nations on the excesses being committed on the innocent Kashmiris.
In a global village, he said we should make friends and not foes and should not enter anybody else’s war. After World War II all the European nations became united on one platform. Why couldn’t the neighbouring countries of Asia stand united and an Asian Union be formed?
Earlier, senior leaders of the MQM including Faisal Sabzwari, Haider Abbas Rizvi, Dr Farooq Sattar and candidate Kunwar Jameel also addressed the rally. Dr Farooq Sattar said that the people of Karachi had given their verdict in the MQM’s favour today and April 23 would just be a formality.
Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that the JI and PTI would contest for second position on April 23. He said that the MQM would wrap its opponent’s politics in a container and send them back to where they came from.
Haider Abbas Rizvi said that the PTI would flee after the election. “Will the JI leader resign after losing the election?” he questioned.
Faisal Sabzwari said that the PTI was an enemy of Karachi. He said that the PTI wanted to cage this city, not free it.
MQM candidate Kunwar Naveed said the people of Karachi knew well that only Altaf Hussain and the MQM were loyal to Karachi.
The MQM leaders said that the people of Karachi were energetic and the MQM would defeat its opponents by a massive margin in NA-246.