MQM-P wants all Pakistanis should be eyed equally: Khalid

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has said that an end should be put to the policy of declaring someone patriotic and others traitors in the country.

Speaking to a party gatheting at the Liaquatabad flyover on Monday, Siddiqui said that his party was going to win on July 25 "despite the party not being allowed to campaign freely". He said that the district administration granted permission to hold this gatheting after taking it back once. "We were only given 10 hours to organise this," he said.

He said that MQM-P wants that all Pakistanis should be eyed equally and no one should be allowed to decide who is patriotic and who is a traitor. He said that Mohajirs were fortunate that they took part in the creation of this country but they were never credited fairly.

He said that the MQM-P was barred from campaiging freely and in the city posters, banners and flags of all parties were visible but not theirs. He said that his party was made of the Election Commission of Pakistan's code of conduct.

He said for the past five years, the MQM-P has been facing a targeted operation in the city and now the rivals were asking what the party did during this time. He termed the victory of his party as a matter of prestige for the Mohajir community.

MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar said a free and fair Karachi is necessary to keep the integrity of the country. He added that despite gerrymandering and low count in census and limited resources, his party decided to contest the election.

He said that Mohajirs stand with Pakistan and they should be deemed as patriotic as others. He added that the next five years of the party's struggle will be dedicated to creation of more provinces, including one in Sindh.

MQM-P's Senior Deputy Convener Amir Khan said that his political rivals were not there when the people of Karachi were counted less in the population census to rip them of their share in the country's resources.

He said that Karachi was never given the due powers it needed and if just distribution of resources were to happen, all the problems could be solved. He asked for an amnesty scheme for the Mohajirs who have been facing politically-motivated cases.