Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui apologises ‘if legal fraternity thinks MQM was behind May 12 violence’

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui apologised to the legal fraternity on Tuesday if it thought his party was involved in the incidents of violence like the May 12 violence and Tahir Plaza incidents.

Addressing the Karachi Bar Association (KBA), he said the MQM was often blamed for the past violence and deteriorating law and order situation in the city, but in fact the party

itself had emerged as a result of such circumstances when other political parties had already been in the field.

Siddiqui, however, apologised to the legal fraternity if the lawyers thought that the MQM was responsible for the violent incidents of the May 12, 2007 and April 8, 2008 in which scores of people were killed.

He said his party was run not by extortion money but by charity funds, for which the legislature itself had made laws allowing any party to be run on charity funds. Siddiqui admitted that some party activists might have got involved in some wrongdoings.

He said that none of his party’s leaders had ever availed loans and got them written off. He alleged that a negative propaganda had been hatched against the MQM from the day the party had come into existence.

“But the voters of the MQM are politically mature and responsible citizens and the people have voted for the party leaders and sent them to the assemblies,” he added. Karachi Bar Association general secretary GM Korai said the bar association’s doors were open to every political party to come and present their manifesto, adding that the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Awami National Party had also addressed the bar members in the past.