MQM-P leaders warn of quitting govt over census issues

karachi: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) will not accept the results of a flawed census and if the people of Karachi are not enumerated correctly, the rulers will know what significance the MQM-P holds.

MQM-P Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui made these remarks while addressing an Iftar dinner on Saturday. In an apparent warning to the federal government, he said the quarters concerned would face difficulties if the people of Karachi were not counted accurately.

He said that without giving the due rights to the heirs of the founders of Pakistan, the problems of the country would not be solved.

It is the right of the people of Karachi that they are counted correctly in the census, Dr Siddiqui asserted. He said the city generated 70 per cent of the revenue for Pakistan.

“I invite the people of the lower middle classes all over Pakistan to join us for a united struggle and raise their voices so that the final result of the struggle becomes clear,” he said.

Stating that Pakistan was facing a huge economic crisis, the MQM-P chief said the permanent peace of the country was linked to the building and development of Karachi.

He lamented that people had been disempowered and stated that a democratic system was useless if basic rights were not given to the people.

He was of the view that as many as 130 union committees should have been added to Karachi in the recent local bodies elections.

Meanwhile, addressing another Iftar dinner on Saturday, MQM-P leader Khwaja Izharul Hassan said the transparent census was the red line for the MQM-P, which was being crossed.

He warned in clear words that if the MQM-P’s demands regarding the census were not met, the party would take its own course and the Rabita Committee might decide to leave the government.

The MQM would not care whether this resulted in a change of the prime minister, a martial law or a judicial coup, Hassan remarked.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan did not fulfil any promises he made with the MQM-P during his premiership.

Khan opened Langarkhana for the people and Toshakhana for himself, the MQM-P leader said.

He added that now the PTI had again started to consider the MQM-P a civilised party because the former contacted the latter a few days ago.

He said a united and stable MQM had now emerged and the party that had benefitted from the split of the MQM-P was now standing against the state.

No other party besides the MQM-P had been raising concern for the issues of Karachi, Hassan said. He added that the PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) did not seem to know about the issue of fake domiciles.

The MQM-P leader said the PTI was trying to form alliances with every party through which it could defeat the MQM-P in Karachi.

He said that when the PTI and MQM-P were allies, the PTI always sent new people to listen to the MQM-P’s demands who gave false assurances that those demands would be met.

He said Imran had promised the MQM-P a robust local government system and police reforms but nothing was achieved.

He said the people of Karachi rejected the local government polls and millions of voters boycotted it. The JI spent a large amount of money on canvassing but it failed to elect its mayor, Hassan added.