The Sindh High Court issued notices to the Interior Ministry, Home Department and others on Wednesday on the petition of Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) information Secretary Aleem Ahmed on the alleged ban against his party’s political activities. In the petition, he cited the Interior Ministry and Sindh Home Department and others as respondents. The division bench including Chief Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi directed the respondents to file comments on a date to be fixed by later.
In his petition, Aleem stated that according to the constitution of Pakistan, all citizens have equal rights to make a political party and start political activities, but since the last 10 years starting from the regime of former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, an unannounced ban was imposed on the political activities of MQM-H to appease the rival party Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
He said that MQM-H is being victimised by the state-run institutions since then. On May 27, 2003, the party’s headquarters, Baitul Hamza, was demolished and its chairman Afaq Ahmed was arrested in fake cases on the orders of MQM chief Altaf Hussain. When the dictatorial era ended and a democratic government took over, the victimisation against the party continued.
The petitioner prayed that like other political parties, MQM-H should also be allowed to continue its political activities.
