Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for the first time in more than three decades has decided to halt all its welfare activities this year, including the collection of hides of sacrificial animals.
The party will not collect hides of sacrificial animals on Eidul Azha this year for its welfare projects under the Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation (KKF), citing “unfavourable conditions” and for being “constant target of state institutions”.
The announcement was made by Muttahida leader Dr Farooq Sattar at a press conference on Saturday. He said the party reached the decision after consultation with the coordination committee and all office-bearers of the KKF.
“We are reorganising the Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation (KKF),” said Farooq Sattar.
“Our workers were accused of snatching hides last Eid, while we were restrained from collecting Zakat and Fitra donations. [Thus] We are suspending all welfare activities and providing other organisations with an opportunity to collect donations.”
The leader of the party, which had been winning an annual major share of hides collection in the metropolis for decades, decided to stay away from the process considering the situation on the ground that did not allow the party to go for this “social welfare activity”.
“To generate funds for our social welfare projects, we have only two options, which are Zakat and Fitra collection in Ramazan and hides collection on Eid-ul-Azha,” Dr Sattar told a press conference at the party’s temporary headquarters in PIB Colony.
“However, for the past one year, we have not been allowed to carry on with the activities. We were denied this right. We are being forced to announce that we are not collecting hides this Eid.”
Those who feared the arrival of ‘party men’ at their doorstep for the forced collection of hides need not worry this year as they are free to choose their recipients.
Karachi has witnessed significant violence during the collection of hides where political parties clashed with each other, leading to the deaths of their rivals and even the sacrificial animals.
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