KARACHI: Almost five weeks ahead of the February 8 general elections, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has formally announced its manifesto with three ‘inevitable’ constitutional amendments for empowering local government (LG) institutions.
The Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui-led party kickstarted its electioneering and unveiled its manifesto at a press conference in Karachi on Thursday.
The party convener along with two deputy convenors, Dr Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal, emphasised constitutional amendments for giving legal cover to the LG institutions including municipal, city and district-level governments.
They termed the proposed constitutional amendments crucial to the devolution of power to the grassroots level.
The nation had not received constitutional protection for the past 50 years. It is inevitable to make some amendments to the Constitution to strengthen the country through empowering the common man, Dr Siddiqui said.
The politico sought full legal protection for all local governments by mentioning those institutions under its power in the Constitution. The MQM-P, he further said, won’t accept a powerless democracy in the country anymore.
He went on to say that his party presented its political and electoral manifesto, suggesting a solution to all political and economic crises by strengthening true democracy in the country.
Dr Farooq Sattar, another senior deputy convener who headed one of the MQM factions before their recent merger, announced that a draft bill had been proposed for all state institutions.
He stressed that a just taxation system must be introduced in the country in which the rich and the poor pay equal taxes. He also vowed to launch a new project for eliminating the scarcity of water in Karachi which would be completed in four years.
Senior deputy convener Mustafa Kamal said that the MQM-P’s manifesto was not just a bunch of documents highlighting the country’s core issues but giving a practical solution.
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