MQM announces protest campaign against ban on its chief’s speeches

Karachi

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Saturday announced a series of protests against the ban on speeches of party chief Altaf Hussain.

The first demonstration will be held at the Quaid’s mausoleum on Sunday that will be followed by similar protests in Hyderabad on January 29. After this the protests will be expanded to the whole country.

This was announced by MQM MNA Kunwar Naveed Jamil at a press conference at the Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall on Saturday evening. He termed the ban on Altaf Hussain’s speeches to be illegal, unconstitutional and also “illogical” saying that it was an unjust violation of human rights.

He said leaders of banned outfits openly made hate speeches and sermons against the country and its interests and the lives of people were at risk with rampant attacks but the authorities seemed unaffected by the bigger problems. He said the Lal Masjid was openly inviting ISIS to come to Pakistan but that escaped the notice of the interior minister, how has admitted in the National Assembly that he could not arrest Maulana Aziz since he hadn’t been booked in any case. 

On the other hand, said Jamil, it had been five months since the ban on Hussain’s speeches had been imposed. He warned that the party will raise its voice on international platforms against this injustice and would tell the world about its oppression of free speech. “The people want to listen to Altaf Hussain because he informs them about the impending threats. In the world’s civilised societies, he said, political parties criticise bad policies of the government and those in power use it for their benefit. “But in Pakistan, criticism is stifled,” said Jamil. “When Altaf Hussain makes a hue and cry against the existence of Taliban and ISIS in Karachi, he is ridiculed by a prejudiced media.”

The MQM MNA who was elected from NA-246 after defeating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Imran Ismail, said the party had only asked the law-enforcement agencies to conduct an impartial and transparent operation within legal and constitutional framework. However, rights of citizens and their constitutional liberties were being violated under the garb of an operation.

“A worst kind of dictatorship has been imposed in Karachi in the name of democracy,” he said. “All political problems must be resolved politically without the ‘illegal’ pressures. The MQM is merely being punished for raising its voice against injustices.”

Muhammad Hussain, an MPA of the party, also spoke on the occasion and said Article 19 of the constitution permitted every citizen to speak freely.

He said to protest was a right enjoyed by every citizen of the country and demanded from the government to end with its dual policy and lift the ban on Altaf Hussain’s public remarks and speeches.

A day earlier, MQM lawmakers staged a protest outside the assembly building over being denied the opportunity by the speaker during the proceedings to table a resolution against the ban on TV channels airing their party chief Altaf Hussain’s speeches.

Towards the end of the assembly’s sitting, MQM MPA Muhammad Hussain Khan sought the speaker’s permission to table a resolution on behalf of his party for lifting the ban on broadcasting Hussain’s speeches. However, the speaker said that he would look into the resolution during the next sitting of the House.