The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has condemned the incarceration of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi chairman, Afaq Ahmed, who was arrested on the charge of issuing a provocative statement against operations of heavy transport, and demanded his unconditional release.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar said his party had been demanding unconditional release of Afaq Ahmed irrespective of its political difference with the imprisoned Karachi-based leader.
He claimed that 100 people in the city had lost their lives in Karachi due to the unchecked operations of speedy dumper trucks and other heavy vehicles in the past two months. He demanded the formation of a commission to investigate these fatal road traffic accidents to fix the responsibility.
He alleged that the representative associations of dumper trucks and trailers in the city would have resorted to provocation in case Afaq had issued a provocative statement. He claimed that resentment had spread among the concerned residents of Karachi after the arrest of Afaq, which could lead to deterioration in the law and order of the city.
“The operations of dumper trucks would not cease in Karachi as a result of Afaq Ahmed’s arrest. The people have run out of their patience,” said Dr Sattar. He clarified that neither was the MQM-P nor was Afaq involved in the recent incidents of setting erring heavy transport vehicles on fire in the city. He opined that the provincial government should have served a notice to Afaq after his latest statement was issued in a threatening tone.
He forewarned that Karachi could witness a repeat of the bloody outbreak of violence as had happened in the city in the aftermath of the tragic killing of a college student, Bushra Zaidi, in the mid-80s.
Dr Sattar said that the patience of the people of Karachi had been wearing thin due to recurring fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles and their tempers could be flared anytime due to constant terrorising at the hands of recklessly driven trucks and trailers in the city.
He criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for being apathetic towards the fatalities caused by heavy vehicles in Karachi. He warned that the city could witness a big street agitation if the federal and provincial governments didn’t offer any relief and corrective measures to save the situation. He said that his party would not be in a position to control that large protest in the city. He appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to take cognisance of the constant sufferings of the people of Karachi due to the troubled road situation in Karachi.
Sharjeel’s response
Reacting to Sattar’s press conference, Sindh Senior Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Inam Memon stated that the MQM-P had always used dead bodies for political purposes. He emphasised that Sattar and other MQM-P leaders should understand that making accusations would not elevate their stature.
He said that for decades, the people of Karachi were at the mercy of the MQM-P’s violent and coercive politics. Now that the MQM-P’s intimidation tactics were failing, it was trying to incite the public and fuel riots based on tragic incidents.
He stated that Sattar’s remarks were baseless and hypocritical. Before blaming the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Sindh government, Sattar should reflect on MQM’s dark history, the information minister said.
He added that those accusing the Sindh government were themselves responsible for destroying the city’s peace in the past. He alleged that ethnic riots, violence, extortion and target killings were the MQM’s trademarks.
He clarified that Afaq’s arrest was made according to the law and no one was above it. He urged the MQM-P to stop shedding crocodile tears.
Memon maintained that while the Sindh government was focused on solving public issues, the MQM-P was busy spreading chaos and deliberately creating discord between the Pashtuns and Urdu-speaking communities.