PRESS CONFERENCE
KARACHI: 18TH AUGUST 2011
Member of the MQM Coordination Committee Raza Haroon said that the international community and the human rights organizations will have to realize the fact that the terrorists of gang war are involved in lawlessness, violence, and killings in Karachi. He was addressing a press conference at Khursheed Begum Secretariat Azizabad, Karachi. Members of the MQM Coordination Committee Shoaib Bukhari, Kunwar Khalid Younus, Waseem Aftab, Nasreen Jalil, Yousuf Shahwani and Wasay Jalil also present. According to details of the Press Conference they said that:
Respected Journalists
First of all, we thank all the journalists and media persons for coming to attend this Press Conference. The purpose of calling this press conference is to inform you and through you to the people about the killings and mayhem in Lyari area of Karachi as a result of gang war and the genocide of the Urdu speaking people by the terrorists of the gang war.
Respected Journalists
You know it very well that armed conflicts between People’s Amn Committee and terrorists of gang war has been continuing relentlessly for several years. These terrorists have been using lethal weapons as well as rocket launchers and hand grenades against each other. The armed terrorists belonging to the gang war have once again resorted to kidnapping and killing against each other in the holy month of Ramadan. Consequently, former MNA of the PPP Waja Karim Dad and several other people were killed and injured. Armed terrorists attacked each other openly, the kidnapped people of the opposing groups, and created panic and fear in the old city areas of Karachi. It is unfortunate that the government, police and the administration stood as silent spectators. No action was taken to restore peace and stability in the city and to protect the life and property of citizens. The police and the administration did not move against the terrorists belonging to the People’s Amn Committee and gang war. It is because of this unfortunate dereliction of duty by the government, police and administration that the terrorists have become so much emboldened that they have started killing innocent Urdu-speaking people in order sabotage relations between the PPP and the MQM. More than 30 people have been abducted from public buses and the vans of private companies after properly ascertaining their identity. These people, most of whom were Urdu-speaking, were later murdered.
Respected Journalists
The people throughout the country, particularly the business community of Karachi and the people living in Lyari know it full well as to who are involved in killing and mayhem in Lyari. The people also know about the influential leaders in the government that are patronizing these terrorists. You know that Karachi is the epicenter of economic activity in Pakistan. It is also called as mini Pakistan. The business community has also been protesting over the situation and sending extortion slips to them by the extortion mafia has become very frequent and daily torment. Business community is being threatened with abduction and murder if the extortion money is not paid. Markets are being attacked with hand grenades and heavy firing. Many shopkeepers and traders lost their lives because of the same unending situation in Sher Shah last year. We want to ask the government what is the fault of the people living in other parts of Karachi, particularly the Urdu-speaking people, in the on-going turf war between criminal elements in Lyari. What is their crime for which they are killed after being abducted? What grievous sin have the Muhajirs of Karachi committed for which they are being forced to mourn and wail even in the holy month of Ramadan and a genocide of the Urdu-speaking people is being done?
Respected Journalists
Peace and stability in Karachi is of utmost importance for the economic development of the country, and Pakistan is acting as a frontline state against terrorism. The international community is working to bring peace and stability in Pakistan, particularly Karachi, to gain success over terrorism. The international community and the human rights organizations will have to realize the fact that the terrorists of gang war are involved in lawlessness, violence, and killings in Karachi, and these terrorists enjoy the overt support of certain leaders of the government. These are the same elements that do not want the process of reconciliation between the MQM and the PPP to become strong, and hence they continue to derail the reconciliatory process every now and then through their vile conspiracies. It is therefore, necessary that the persons responsible for spoiling the peace of Karachi and their sponsors be unveiled. The international community should also exercise its influence on the government to rein in the leaders of the PPP that are patronizing the terrorists of the gang war. The genocide of the Urdu-speaking people in Karachi should stop immediately and complete protection should be provided to the people living in Lyari and elsewhere in the city.
Respected Journalists
We understand that the fighting of the gang war is deliberately being spread in different localities under a well-planned scheme. Innocent citizens of Karachi are being abducted and killed after inhuman torture with a view to provoking the peace-loving people of Karachi to create a law and order situation in the city. The apathetic attitude of the government and administration makes it very clear that they want to hand over old city areas of Karachi to the criminals and terrorists of the underworld like Columbia. President Asif Zardari wants to promote the process of reconciliation in Pakistan, and he is desirous of better relations between the PPP and the MQM. The President must, nevertheless, think what benefit the public would get from this process of reconciliation if the killing of innocent citizens continued like this.
We demand of President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Provincial Home Minister Manzoor Hussain Wassan to take a serious view of the gang-war continuing relentlessly in Lyari. Kidnapping of Urdu-speaking people in different parts of Karachi and their genocide should be stopped immediately. Bloodthirsty killers should be brought to justice and given exemplary punishment, and the citizens should be given security without and discrimination.
We appeal to the peaceful people of Karachi, particularly the families of those who lost their loved ones at the hands of the gang- war terrorists, not to get provoked by acts of terrorism and defeat the conspiracy to destroy peace and tranquility in Karachi by maintaining calm and remaining peaceful.
In the end, we express our heartfelt condolences to the mournful families of the people who have been killed by the terrorist. We pray for their divine forgiveness and eternal peace. We also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. May Allah curse the terrorists who have killed so many people even in the holy month of Ramadan.
Members Co-ordination Committee
Muttahida Quami Movement (Pakistan)