PTI rejects GRC over inclusion of Muttahida leader

Karachi
The Karachi division of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has rejected the grievance redressal committee (GRC) over the appointment of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Barrister Farogh Naseem.
Addressing a press conference at the Insaf House on Wednesday, PTI Karachi chapter president Ali Zaidi expressed reservations and concerns over the five-member committee set up by the federal government to redress the grievances of the MQM.
Opposing the inclusion of Barrister Naseem and appointment of the interior secretary as convener, he said the government was trying to undermine the efforts and achievements of the law enforcement agencies by establishing the committee.
“The MQM demands that their grievances should be heard, but what about the grievances of the families of the nearly 15,000 Karachiites killed since 2007? Who will hear their pleas for justice?” he questioned. “The committee must include all aggrieved parties, not just a leader from the MQM.”
Zaidi said the law enforcement agencies had claimed that Rs3 billion a month was being expropriated from the people of Karachi due to various criminal activities while daily wage earners suffered losses on numerous shutdowns observed on the calls of the MQM.
“Who will hear the grievances of the Baldia Town factory fire families, victims of property encroachments and others?” He said Karachi was progressing remarkably and the current report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan showed that there was a 63 percent year-on-year (YoY) and a 28 percent YoY drop in target killings and sectarian killings respectively.
“The drop in crime along with the absence of regular shutdowns has reduced the fear factor among the people of Karachi and now we don’t want to go back to the dark ages.”
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz must include all aggrieved parties in the committee, he said, most importantly the family members of the victims of Karachi violence, representatives of law and enforcement agencies and other members of other Karachi-based political parties.
“The grievances heard by the committee shouldn’t be one-sided, just against law enforcement agencies by the MQM, but it must be a two-way street, where grievances against the MQM should also be heard,” he said.
“The government should also state for the public record if this GRC supersedes the court system or not.”
Zaidi said the formation of the GRC showed the PML-N government’s hypocritical attitude.
“All parties in the National Assembly decided to give special powers to LEAs and if the government decides to take back these powers, this would be strongly opposed by the people of Pakistan,” he added.
The PTI leader said the main motivation of the PML-N was to save its own government as the acceptance of the MQM’s resignations could have opened up a Pandora’s box that would threaten the “Sharif family’s grip on power and its ability to loot and plunder the taxpayer’s money”.