KARACHI - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain on Sunday said that Armed Forces, ISI, political and religious parties and business community should make practical efforts for saving Pakistan from further disintegration and making Pakistan a prosperous state.
Addressing via telephone the annual programme of MQM’s welfare wing, Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation (KKF) annual assistance programme at Jinnah Ground, Altaf stressed that in order to ensure survival of democracy in the country, both the Parliament and the judiciary should accept each other.
He urged the political and religious parties to come forward for the security of the country. “Politicians, security institutions and judiciary should also work for the betterment of the country,” he added.
He further said that every department in Pakistan and even freedom of the country has been usurped, adding that the support to the terrorists must stop and full autonomy should be given to the provinces. Confrontation between the parliament and the judiciary must be defused as the good of the people lay in this.
Altaf Hussain said that Pakistan was passing through critical juncture of its existence. In 1971, the people at the helm of affairs were warned about the looming threats and advised to work with knowledge and judgment but the civil and military powers at that time threw the warnings to the wind resulting in the dismemberment of the country. He added that the country was once again passing through similar circumstances.
Lives of common people have been made miserable by loadshedding of gas and electricity, poverty, unemployment and rising cost of living. Members of the business community were relocating their business to foreign countries because of the worsening law and order situation in the country while the remaining business persons were demanding arms licences for protecting themselves.
The MQM Chief said that Sindh was the land of peace but people hailing from the Hindu community were migrating to India because of insecurity. Referring to the famous speech by the Quaid-i-Azam to the Legislative Assembly on August 11, he said that the freedom obtained in 1947 was held hostage by powerful elements.
He informed that that even education in Pakistan was not free. There were different institutions for the children for the rich and privileged class where education was given in English following the British or the US standards while the children of the poor had to learn in Urdu medium schools with poor standards. He said that Urdu is the national language of the country but the workings of the government, courts, Prime Minister House, and President House were done in English.
He said that even the national language was not free and held in hostage.
He said that the MQM is the only political party that was free from the abominable culture of hereditary politics, saying that the MQM was being accused of failing to control the menace of extortion although it was a part of the government. He said that the people of Karachi, shopkeepers and traders have been left at the mercy of the extortion mafia. The governor and the chief minister of the province were perhaps not free to take action.
Altaf Hussain asked how the MQM could be expected to change the system and end extortion when even Dr AQ Khan who had made Pakistan a nuclear power was incarcerated.
He said everyone in the country was crying hoarse to make Karachi a weapon-free city but no one ever talked about destroying the factories where the arms were manufactured. He said that arms were coming in Karachi by passing through a number of checkposts spanning over a distance of thousands of miles. These checkposts are manned by army, rangers, anti-narcotics force and police.
Altaf Hussain said that a notorious terrorist who did not even had sufficient money to buy food was given bungalows in the Defence area of Karachi. He said that he had brought this to the notice of the president and the federal interior minister but no action was taken.
Speaking on the occasion, prominent nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan said that the MQM had rendered admirable services after the catastrophic earthquake and devastating floods in the country. He said that the MQM and the KKF continued their relief work to the last. Dr AQ Khan said that he was very happy that he had come to attend the annual assistance programme of the KKF. He said that good and honest people should be voted at the time of election.
Dr AQ Khan said that the problem of load-shedding could have been solved easily but regretted that the problem has not been resolved despite the passage of over four years. He said that the poor people should not be considered helpless and weak as there is a limit of their patience. Dr AQ Khan said that the law and order situation in Karachi was worse. He said that the home ministry in Sindh should be given to Rauf Siddiqui as a test.
MQM Coordination Committee Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar said that serving the ailing humanity is the best form of worship. Mr Hussain has been giving the message of including the poor and needy people in the happiness of the Eid by ensuring assistance to the needy people in a dignified manner.
Dr Sattar said that there was the challenging of getting Pakistan in 1947 but now in 2012 there is a greater challenge of saving Pakistan and building it. The idea of the Round Table Conference has been broached by MQM Chief Altaf Hussain so that we may celebrate the next Independence Day with pride.
Dr Sattar reiterated that there should be a minimum national agenda for saving Pakistan. KKF Chief Trustee Mustafa Kamal and Tariq Mir also spoke on the occasion.