Musharraf begins pre-poll campaign

KARACHI: Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) to join hands with his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) to form a political force against the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Sindh.

Speaking to a thin and scattered gathering at the Liaquatabad flyover on Sunday, APML founder Musharraf announced that his party would take part in the 2018 elections from Karachi, proposing another alliance in the city’s political scene after the failed MQM-P and PSP merger.

He said: “Currently, there is no such political party in Sindh that could defeat the PPP. However, if an alliance is made [among the Karachi-centric political parties and some groups in other parts of Sindh], then it could happen.”

The former president said that he eyed the MQM-P, PSP and his APML equally and if an alliance was made among them, they will emerge as a stronger force and could make the next government in the province.

“We cannot do anything if we are not in power,” he said. “That is why I ask [them] to wage a joint struggle and solve the issues by forming a government. Then we will vie for the federal government.”

He mostly spoke about Karachi and accused the MQM, PPP, ANP and other political entities of arming their people to fight against each other on ethnic basis. He said the city represented the whole country, so unity among its populace was inevitable for development.

“But for this, people must end the Muhajirs and MQM conjecture [that both of them are interrelated] because it has given nothing but destruction in the past 30 years,” he said. “It has only begotten infamy to the community as RAW agents, target killers, extortionists and terrorists.”

MQM is a taboo, he said, adding that if the people supported him, then he would make sure it reached its end. He hinted at turning the proposed alliance into a new party and said that it would be given a better name.

Musharraf said the country needed to get rid of corrupt politicians, therefore, a change was necessary. Stressing on the federal nationalism, he said the current political scene was divided ethnically as the PPP governed in Sindh, the PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PML-N in Punjab and so on.

“Follow me,” he said, adding: “We have to make a pure Pakistani party to end this ethnic divide. And it could only happen with your [people’s] support.” Meanwhile, APML president Dr Muhammad Amjad said that those who claim to have brought about development in Karachi, were actually brought by Musharraf. He claimed that the former president, during his tenure, fueled more than Rs350 billion to the then local and provincial governments to build the infrastructure in the city.

Claiming that the PSP was harassing the APML workers, he warned that if they did not stop, then they would be met with force. “You cannot even scratch the APML workers because we and Musharraf are with them.”