KARACHI - Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr Farooq Sattar has said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will gain nothing but disappointment wherever it will hold a rally in the provincial capital.
Lambasting the PPP leadership at MQM-P public meeting at Liaquatabad's Tanki Ground on Saturday, Sattar said the MQM had been challenged in its stronghold. “I urge the PPP to hold rallies in Karachi. It will be defeated everywhere,” he said.
He said that people of Sindh were trapped in a wheel of cruelty. It is not only about the Mohajir community; every person of the province is trapped in the system of feudal lords and time has come to reject and bury this feudal system.
MQM was in crisis, but its vote bank remained intact despite all hardships and differences among leaders of the party, he asserted. He said the next chief minister of Sindh would be elected with the support of MQM. He said, “I took the party command on August 23, 2016 and I promise that I will transform the party into an educated party of middle class people.”
Calling the PPP Papa, Phupho and Pappu party, Sattar said, “We were expecting political competition, but regrettably Bilawal once again sowed the seed of hatred against those who created Pakistan. We should not ask our youth to respond to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari though our women are capable of giving a realistic answer to Bilawal. Women of Liaquatabad want to know why Papa, Phupho and Pappu have not arrested killers of Benazir Bhutto. Bilawal is dreaming of becoming next prime minister of the country but he is still not aware of politics. He is learning politics,” said Sattar.
Without naming the PSP, Sattar said that a substandard product of a factory was also in the run to capture Karachi. After today’s gathering, he said, workers and leaders who joined the newly established party would return to MQM. He said the MQM always valued and cared about dignity of its workers and those coming back would not be shamed.
Terming the provisional census statistics unjust, deputy convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that like every census population of Sindh’s urban part was shown less than that of rural. Furthermore, he said, state authorities declined to register the Urdu-speaking community. He said Nadra was asking for irrelevant documents for registration. “What actually is our mistake and why efforts were being made to eliminate us from the political scene?” he asked.
He said, “It is unfortunate that we failed to save East Pakistan. However, we are prepared to save ideology of Pakistan. Today’s gathering is being held to make it clear that we are still united and we will bring about a revolution in the outdated system through the ideology of Pakistan.”
The MQM-P leadership welcomed the PPP public meeting in the city and said they thought the party ruling the province would announce a package for Karachi but its immature leader promoted mere hatred.
Siddiqui said the language used by the PPP chief during the rally was deplorable. The PPP held rally with the thought that the MQM was going to divide, but this did not happen. “Differences are there, but we are united. People’s participation in today’s gathering has made it clear the MQM is still a powerful party,” he added.
Saying goodbye to MQM slogan Humain Manzil Nahin Rahnuma Chahiye (We want leader, not destination), Siddiqui said that times had changed and same was true of the party’s slogan, which is now Humain Rahnuma Nahin Manzil Chahiye (We want destination, not leader).
Today’s gathering is a slap on the face of people who staged a political drama a few days ago, said MQM senior deputy convener Amir Khan. MQM is one and it will remain united under the slogan of Mohajir, he said. “I want to make it clear to feudal lords and rulers that I am a Mohajir and I will remain Mohajir.” In today’s gathering Punjabi, Pakhtun, Baloch, Sindhi and people from other community are present to support the Mohajir community and its political party MQM, said Amir.
The slogans of “Jaagh Mohajir Jaagh” have panicked the feudal lords but the slogan in fact was a call for the entire Pakistani nation to stand up for their rights and burry feudalism, Amir maintained. “We respect constitution of Pakistan but we want justice and equal rights,” he added.
Talking about MQM’s missing workers, he said that families of the missing workers were spending miserable lives and still waiting for their love ones. “You always do injustice to the Mohajir community and leave no option for them. We have kept Pakistan first and even sacrificed for the country. The establishment should find a way to return MQM missing workers to their homes,” he said.
PTI and PML-N leadership at the time of elections were visiting Karachi seeking votes. It seems that they were unaware that they were going to get nothing from here as Karachi belongs to MQM, he said.
Criticizing the Pak Sarzameen Party, Amir termed it a parachute party, which was trying its best to do politics on some rented legislators who broke away with the MQM. Reunion of MQM-P factions has turned PSP dreams of capturing Karachi into a nightmare, he said.
Farraz Israr