News Desk
KARACHI: While fulminating against PPP-led Karachi mayor and deputy mayor, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has said that MQM-P’s boycott has resulted in making unpopular and rejected representatives as Karachi mayor and deputy mayor.
“Today, those who were rejected in Karachi are as Karachi mayor and deputy mayor because of the boycott of MQM-P in the local government polls. Karachi gives Rs300-Rs400 billion to the national exchequer annually in terms of a large number of taxes. Those who are called themselves sons of Karachi must give an accountability of the last 15 years and return all looted and ill-gotten money to the port city. This metropolis delineates a story that both police and thieves are imported here. There is no change in the fate of Liaquatabad, but this town of Karachi, Liaquatabad transformed the destiny of the country. Only markets of Liaquatabad pays taxes more than that of entire Lahore,” he said.
The elected representatives of Sindh and national assemblies who are from Liaquatabad belong to Haq Parast (MQM-P), while representatives of the local government are not representatives of this major town.
He said this while addressing a public meeting at Liaquatabad, Karachi after inaugurating various development schemes. He said while paying a rich tribute to brave and patriotic people of Liaquatabad. People of this city must make preparations and show determination that this country can neither run nor survive without people of this city. Karachi will once again play its role in changing the fate of this country.
He said that Liaquatabad does not need the government but the government calls for this financial town of the country’s business hub. Liaquatabad has a shining history and the date of making Pakistan and is an ideological capital. It depicts an embodiment of democracy, rights, identity, voice and beginning of justice movements in the country.
“We are ashamed that we were unable to save Pakistan of Quaid-i-Azam in 1970. We delivered people from slavery of the British Raj and Pakistan came into being, but it is an irony that the best slaves of the world are lords of this country. We made Pakistan and we will also safeguard it. Pakistan is not our responsibility but the country is a memorial of our ancestors,” he said.
Meanwhile, the MQM-P announced that it would boycott the local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad division on Jan 14 because of its serious reservations about delimitations of the local government constituencies, while the LGEs would have been held on Jan 15.
MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui announced it while speaking to journalists at a news conference that the party had serious reservations about delimitations of the areas but they were not yet addressed. Although party’s leaders complained to the provincial government and the election commission of Pakistan (ECP) repeatedly, yet the authorities concerned went into hibernation about the issue.
MQM-P leaders considered that if MQM-P candidates contested the LGEs, it would be impossible to bring the mayor and deputy mayor of the party under such illogical and unjustified delimitations. Then they decided to boycott the LGEs and the party’s boycott resulted in the poor turnout in the polls.
MQM-P splinter groups—Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) headed by Mustafa Kamal and organization of restoration committee head Dr Farooq Sattar— which recently re-joined MQM-P also intended to take time to reorganized the party and mobilize workers and people of their respective localities. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori played a pivotal role in rejoining all the MQM-P splinter groups and bringing them under one platform and he succeeded to a great extent in this regard.
