- Sattar says 150 party workers missing, 160 offices razed; ‘Our hearts can’t be bulldozed’
Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader MNA Farooq Sattar has said that rights of ‘muhajirs’ are not being accepted by quarters concerned despite their ‘separation’ from Altaf Hussain, a Pakistan-born British national who founded the party.
The muhajir or immigrant is a political term that refers to people who or whose forefathers migrated from India to Pakistan. Addressing a Meet the Editors programme of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) here on Saturday, Sattar said that feelings of being deprived and inferiority complex still exists among the patriotic muhajirs.
He said that these were discriminatory attitudes behind the strengthening of MQM because ‘muhajirs’ had been kept away from their rights for a long time. “When ‘muhajirs’ were facing such discriminations, they seriously needed a leader to lead them. People had been sticking with Altaf Hussain and this was hard for them to be separated from their leader,” he said.
On the occasion, he again condemned the recent anti-Pakistan statement delivered by Altaf Hussain in which he asked the Indian prime minister to intervene for what he said for ‘muhajirs rights’. Sattar said that there was no suitable way for Urdu speakers and Karachiites to leave Altaf Hussain but August 22 became the day when a line was drawn between MQM and Altaf Hussain and that was accepted by the party leadership and workers.
However, he said that Altaf Hussain was the symbol of unity but August 22 created opportunity for them to say goodbye to Altaf Hussain. “We have abolished his name from the party’s constitution because we are patriotic people,” he said. “After Altaf, we have almost reorganised MQM-Pakistan up to 80 percent,” he said.
“We have separated those who raised anti-Pakistan slogans but we are not being accepted by the “quarters concerned” which is not in national interest,” Sattar said, adding that those who chanted slogans of Pakistan Zindabad must be embraced. “We are running country’s fourth largest party from 180 yard house and its more than 2000 workers have been charged with different cases,” he said.
At least 150 workers belong to his party were missing while 160 party offices had been bulldozed, he said. “Our offices can be bulldosed but never hearts,” he maintained. “Our workers are not enemies of Pakistan but patriotic people. We always put our point of view before media. Every Pakistani has equal rights, so that Karachi people must be provided with their rights, otherwise no guarantee for peace can be assured,” he said.
“We had taken decision of our part. Unless and until, we get political rights and offices, the counter politics couldn’t be stopped,” he said and asked that now when would “they decide to accept us.” He demanded that their ‘missing persons’ must be released and they should have equal rights for political activities.
Talking about his reservation regarding ongoing census, Sattar said that the nine year delay was just to facilitate the Sindh’s feudal lords and to keep Karachiites deprived from their rights because the process was totally unfair. “In 1998 census, Karachi’s population was 47.6 and now this is an attempt to proof it has 45 percent which is just unfair,” he said, adding that Karachi’s people wouldn’t let anybody to steal their mandate.
On a question, Sattar said that whenever they decided to start political activities in Punjab, they start facing problems in Karachi. Despite having mayors in three districts, “we are barred to work. Karachi and Hyderabad have been converted into the heaps of garbage while Karachi mayor’s right of leasing have been reduced,” he said. He further said that they were being deprived for jobs due to unjust quota system.
