- Accuses caretaker administration of ‘favoring PPP’
- Urges IGP to apprehend perpetrators of party worker’s murder
KARACHI: In the face of ‘threats and opposition’ from the provincial administration and recent incidents of violence against its workers, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) asserted on Wednesday that it would not consider boycotting the elections on February 8. The party issued a stern warning, stating that any attempt to ‘seize’ Karachi’s mandate through ‘destruction and authority’ would provoke a serious response.
While the party’s top leadership expressed outrage over the recent ‘assault’ on its workers, they were resolute that boycotting the electoral process, as seen in the local government polls last year, was not a chosen option.
They asserted that the boycott of the local government elections was justified, and the events that unfolded afterward provided a clear narrative.
Responding to a question about the possibility of boycotting the February 8 polls, MQM-P convener Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said, “How could we participate in the flawed [local government] polls when some 100 union committees were removed from the Karachi electoral mandate?” He emphasized that this election was a matter of life and death for the people of Karachi and other cities in Sindh.
Accompanied by senior party leaders Mustafa Kamal and Dr. Farooq Sattar, Dr. Siddiqui accused the caretaker administration of Sindh, led by Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar, of favoring the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) due to his ‘past association with the party.’
While expressing disappointment in the caretaker government, he demanded that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) ensure the arrest of the killers of MQM-P worker Faraz Qureshi, who was shot dead in Nazimabad on Sunday.
Dr. Siddiqui questioned the impartiality of the IGP, pointing out the failure to arrest those named in the FIR by the party and the victim’s family.
He criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), stating, “What a shame that the ECP is so concerned about the removal of banners of candidates but turns a blind eye to violations of the set rules every day and the use of government machinery by certain parties.”
Accusing the PPP of managing the elections in advance, Dr. Siddiqui claimed that many officials affiliated with the party were being appointed as polling staff, and such actions went unchecked “under the nose of the authorities.”
Addressing the ECP, he questioned who would address these violations and monitor the buying and selling of votes and the management of polling stations in the days leading up to the polling day.
Dr. Siddiqui emphasized that the people of Karachi would not allow anyone to steal their mandate and take away their right to vote. He warned that if the past trend was repeated, the people of Karachi knew how to react and protect their votes.
