Afaq pledges to lead campaign for new province in Sindh

KARACHI: The Chairman of Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi, Afaq Ahmed, has announced to start a campaign for a separate province for Mohajirs in Sindh after Ramazan. He said it is necessary for the Mohajir survival that a southern Sindh province is created. Addressing a public meeting at the Liaquatabad Flyover on Sunday, he said the authorities should conduct a referendum on the Kalabagh Dam and that is more important than holding election.

He said those opposing to building dams are acting on India's agenda to dry Pakistan off. He said India is building several dams, while different elements are not letting the same happen in the country. "There will be a time when people would long for even a single drop of water."

Ahmed criticized the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, saying they claim to represent the Mohajirs but they never did anything to resolve the issues faced by the community.

He said the MQM, despite being in power in the past over 30 years, has failed to eliminate even the quota system. He said the quota system implies there are two ethnic groups in Sindh who are divided in urban and rural parts of the province. He said there is no harm in upholding ethno-political narrative nor it was illegal or unethical. "Sindhis are Sindhis, Pashtuns are Pashtun before any other identity. Similarly, we (Mohajirs) were Pakistanis, even before Pakistan was created."

He lashed out at MQM founder Altaf Hussain and his colleagues, asking them what did they achieve by spewing hatred against the Pakistan Army. Ahmad said Mohajirs played a leading role in the creation of this country and are as much patriots as any other ethnic group of the country. "Hang him for chanting anti-Pakistan slogans," he said, referring to the MQM founder's incendiary speech of August 22, 2016.

He said, unlike Altaf, Mohajirs love this country and it is their home. He added most of the people who fought for Pakistan are interned in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, and announced he will bring them to the country. Ahmad said that just before the election, the MQM-P groupshave started to champion the Mohajir cause, however, in the past they did not do so when his party demanded the rights for the community. He added because of the MQM's incompetence the city has been deprived of its rights. "Where were you when the KDA was put under the Sindh government's control?" he asked MQM, and said unlike them he is a permanent Mohajir and not a seasonal one. "Now there will be Mohajir politics only," he added.

Talking about the Pakistan People’s Party's claim to secure the mandate in Karachi, he said the party is run by feudal lords who could never represent the Mohajirs or the majority urban populace. He also accused the PPP of orchestrating the Pucca Qilla operation in Hyderabad in 1990 against the community in which around 40 people were killed. He said like in the Model Town, Lahore, people were killed in this city also, but no one ever raised voice for them. Referring to the Baldia factory fire, he said over 250 people were burnt to death, but no one is even willing to support the victims' families. "Though, everyone is ready to express their sorrow over the May 12, 2007 massacre."