‘MQM-P does not have freedom to carry out political activities like other parties’

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is a political party that represents middle and poor classes of the country but unfortunately it does not enjoy freedom to carry out political activities that other political parties enjoy.

MQM-P leader and former Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar said this on Sunday while addressing a press conference at the party office in Bahadurabad. He said the party was struggling for the rights of 98 per cent of the country’s population comprising middle and poor classes but did not have liberty to do politics as other parties had.

Akhtar told the press conference that the MQM-P had been voicing concerns on issues such as unfair delimitations in Karachi, flawed census and fake domiciles for employment that had deprived the people of urban Sindh of their due rights.

“The MQM-P is a patriotic party and our forefathers have sacrificed their lives for the sake of this country,” Akhtar remarked. A number of political activists of various parties also joined the MQM-P on the occasion. Akhtar welcomed them and asked them to strengthen the party and take care of its discipline.

He said the doors of the MQM-P were open for everyone, including those who wanted to rejoin the party. Those who had left the party could freely join it again and carry forward its struggle with determination and devotion, he added.

In response to a question, he said the MQM-P had earlier inked an agreement with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in order to join the coalition government but the PTI did not implement the agreement in letter and spirit.

“Now we have signed a written agreement with the Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Peoples Party in front of the country's leadership and the media, but so far the agreement has not been implemented.”

He said that if that agreement was not implemented in the near future, the MQM-P would be free to decide its future course of action after consultations within the Coordination Committee of the party.

“If any party thinks that it would conduct the local government elections on the basis of unfair delimitations, it should come out of this crude idea. We will not allow anyone to snatch Karachi’s mandate with such tactics,” the former mayor said.

He remarked that the people Sindh had supported the MQM-P in the past and they were still supporting the party. He added that the people knew about their snatched rights and could distinguish between good and bad.

Separetely, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan senior leader Aamir Khan attended a mourning meeting on 7th of Muharram at Nishtar Park and met eminent religious scholar Allama Shahenshah Hussain Naqvi.

Khan was accompanied by other senior party leaders. They offered Naqvi the MQM-P’s support for the arrangements of the mourning procession and meetings. Khan discussed religious harmony and unity among the Muslims in connection with Muharram.

Allama Naqvi and other scholars thanked the MQM-P leaders and expressed good wishes for them. The party’s Medical Aid Committee has set up a medical camp at the Nishtar Park providing medicine and first aid to the mourners.