KARACHI-Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday traded barbs as both the parties held each other responsible for neglecting Karachi during their respective regime.
Addressing a presser here at the MQM-P’s Central Election Office Senior Deputy Convener Syed Mustafa Kamal said that the JI was afraid of his party’s preparations for elections as the latter will not be able to win even a union committee in the future. “In 2015, Jamaat-e-Islami got around 250,000 votes and their ratio was not even one percent,” Kamal said.
The MQM-P Senior Deputy Convener went on to say that the JI leaders had dual standards for their own children and other youth. “They (JI leaders) instead of their own children sent the youth of Karachi to Kashmir and Afghanistan in the name of Jihad,” he added while terming the JI “Muhajir enemy”.
He said that after Nine-Eleven, six Al-Qaeda terrorists were arrested from the house of former Olympian Mahmood Shahid Ali who he said belonged to the JI. Kamal also alleged that charity money of Al-Khidmat was being used for the publicity of Hafiz Naeemur Rahman, the JI Karachi chief. He said that 25,000 youths were killed extra judicially in Karachi but the JI never raised its voice against the massacre of innocent people.
‘MQM DEAD HORSE’
In a befitting rejoinder, JI Karachi Ameer Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that unsuccessful efforts were being made to revive a ‘dead political horse’ the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
The JI leader expressed these views while addressing a press conference held at Idara Noor-e-Haq — the JI Karachi headquarters, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said people of Karachi and Hyderabad had rejected the MQM and the efforts by some elements to revive the ‘dead horse’ were bound to fail.
He said that the MQM had always betrayed Karachi and its people against perks and privileges for its leaders. “The MQM has been a part of all governments and supported feudal lords and Pakistan People Party against the interests of Karachi be it a matter of census, surrendering the powers of the local government setup or any other turning point,” the JI leader added. He also held the MQM responsible for the Baldia factory inferno and appealed to the apex court to punish the facilitators too.