The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) held a rally from Karimabad to Mazar-e-Quaid on Sunday to launch its campaign for administrative units, drawing a large number of women, youths, students, party workers and supporters.
Addressing the rally participants at Mazar-e-Quaid, MQM-P Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the people had “given their decision” and vowed that the party would not return home without getting its demands accepted.
He said the people of Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas had already expressed their support, adding that Karachi had also spoken in favour of the party’s demands. “Our demands are echoing across the country, and the demand for administrative units is also being discussed nationwide,” he said, adding that MQM-P had come to strengthen Pakistan.
Dr Siddiqui said the rally marked the beginning, not the end, of the struggle for administrative units. He maintained that the units should be created on administrative rather than linguistic grounds so that the benefits of democracy could reach people at their doorsteps. He said MQM-P had raised its voice for citizens’ rights, approached the courts and presented what it described as the people’s case.
“We have endured every kind of oppression, but our culture is not power; our culture is our strength,” he said, calling for an end to what he described as further coercion and demanding that citizens be given their rights.
Dr Siddiqui said MQM-P was a party of workers and had enabled young people from the poor and middle classes to reach the assemblies. He added that the party would continue to use the power of the vote to pursue its demands.
Senior MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar said the large turnout reflected the determination of Karachi’s people to secure greater administrative powers and their rights. He said “18 years of patience” had ended and claimed that people across Sindh had now taken to the streets for their rights.
Dr Sattar said administrative units could improve not only Karachi’s future but also that of Larkana, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad and other cities of Sindh. He said MQM-P would visit these cities and present what it described as the case for people’s rights.
He said the party wanted a system in which local representatives could play an effective role in managing the resources and addressing the problems of their areas, while basic facilities were provided to people at their doorstep.
Senior MQM-P leader Nasreen Jalil, former Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar, members of the National and Sindh assemblies, senators, party workers, and office-bearers also attended the rally.
