LAHORE – The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) effort to make inroads into Punjab bore fruit on Sunday when it managed an impressive show in the provincial capital where party chief Altaf Hussain announced a revolution through constitutional means.
It was MQM’s third public meeting in the city and by far the biggest one with around 10,000 people participating in the event held under the auspices of the MQM Punjab chapter at Punjab Football Stadium. In his telephonic address to the rally, Altaf vowed to make constitutional amendments if needed in the best interest of the people.
“Let the MQM come into power. We will ensure that people get all best amenities and an end to electricity load shedding.” He promised free education until matriculation, provincial status to Saraiki and Bahawalpur belts and provision of all basic facilities to the people of Punjab.
Altaf promised complete support to the Saraiki people in their demand for a separate province, saying his party would hold a referendum in this regard after coming into power. He said it was time the fate of the neglected and downtrodden people of Pakistan changed.
Urging the nation to show discipline, Altaf said Pakistanis must convey to the entire world that they were a single entity and could not compromise on national honour. He said if the nation exhibited discipline, dignity and grace, no foreign power could even look at the country with bad intentions.
Expressing concern over the killing of people in Balochistan, the MQM chief demanded immediate and long-lasting solutions to redress the problems faced by the people of the province. Offering mediation between the government and the Baloch people, he said that dialogue was the only solution to save Balochistan province.
He appealed to the quarters concerned to save the province from being separated from the country. Promising rights to the deprived Punjabis, the MQM chief said his party would not only address the issue of southern Punjab and Bahawalpur but would also empower and facilitate the people in the area. He said that industries and hospitals would be set up in all areas in the Saraiki belt.
Altaf said the caravan of the MQM had entered into Punjab and no force, including the establishment, could block its ways. He said a gulf had been created between him and the people of Punjab through a planned conspiracy. He said there was no difference between the people of Sindh and the people of Punjab as all of them wanted to see Pakistan free of corruption and oppression.
PLAN: Unveiling his plan for the welfare of the people, the MQM chief said the party would not only devise an effective system of accountability for all but would also ensure that the judiciary was free and independent. Condemning the killing of the people in drone strikes, he said the MQM would introduce a foreign policy in which no compromise would be made on national honour and integrity.
“What kind of freedom is the country enjoying when the policies are being decided by the US and the UK?” he asked, adding that the MQM would quit the government if it failed to fulfil its commitment. He also said the party would declare education mandatory until matriculation, which would be free of cost and action would be taken against parents who tried to bar their children from seeking education.
The MQM chief vowed that the MQM would abolish all bad customs like honour killings and ensured complete rights for women and minorities. Altaf Hussain also vowed that the Kashmir issue would be resolved when the MQM will come into power, adding that the party had a master plan to redress all issues.He said the MQM would recover all written-off loans, adding that the money would be spent on the welfare of the people.
Talking about free and independent media, Altaf said there should be no restriction on any media group and appealed to end the ban on TV channels saying that the free and independent media was the need of the hour and the voice of the masses.
