Peaceful areas in Karachi are being disturbed under a sinister conspiracy: Dr Farooq Sattar
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Posted on: 4/11/2013
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If someone believes that they can steal elections in Karachi and Hyderabad, they are mistaken: Senator Mustafa Kamal
Deputy Convener of the Co-ordination Committee of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Dr Farooq Sattar has said peaceful areas in Karachi were being disturbed under a sinister conspiracy. He said that party offices and elections offices of the MQM were being raided and the MQM office-bearers and workers facilitating the people were being arrested and detained without any reason. He was addressing a hurriedly called Press Conference at Khursheed Begum Secretariat after the killing of the MQM candidate for PS – 47 Fakhrul Islam in Hyderabad.
Dr Sattar also condemned the killing of the member of the Literature Committee of the MQM Syed Shiraz Asghar by terrorists of the gang war near cafe Payala in Karachi soon after the assassination of Fakhrul Islam in Hyderabad. He condemned the killing of three city wardens in Soldier Bazar area of Karachi and demanded immediate arrest of the killers.
He said that the two incidents point to a conspiracy to restrict the electoral and political activities of the MQM and snatching some of its seats by force.
Dr Sattar said that the MQM had always demanded stern and indiscriminate action against various criminal mafias and terrorists in order to curb terrorism and incidents of targeted killings. He said that the MQM had a zero-tolerance policy for crime and terrorism but detaining innocent people in peaceful areas of Karachi on the pretext of house-to-house search by the police and the rangers and subjecting them to brutal physical torture would undermine the environment conducive for election activities.
Dr Sattar said that carrying out raids on the election offices of the MQM and imposing a pall of fear was equal to pre-poll rigging against the MQM.
In response to a question Dr Sattar asked if there was a criminal in every house in Landhi, Lines Area, PIB Colony and other areas of Karachi. He said that instead of harassing innocent people by besieging entire localities, action should be taken on solid intelligence against any criminal or terrorist.
When asked if elections could be held in the present circumstances, Dr Sattar said it was the responsibility of the Election Commission and the caretaker government to provide a level playing field and a particular party and its workers should not be pushed to the wall.
Dr Sattar asserted that on the one hand the terrorists had been given a licence to kill MQM workers, while on the other hand political and electoral freedom of the MQM was being usurped by state repression.
He said it was height of injustice that known hideouts of terrorists were not being touched while barriers installed by common people on self-help basis were being demolished.
He said that certain elements wanted to paralyse the write of the state of Pakistan in certain areas and establish their power centres. He said that terrorists arriving in Karachi as a result of military operations have made no-go areas in Karachi. He said that these no-go areas had been given unrestrained freedom to do whatever they wanted while peaceful areas of the city were bearing the brunt of state action.
Dr Sattar said the MQM had been crossing rivers of blood and fire in the past but the courage and determination of the MQM workers could not be diminished.
Dr Sattar appealed to President Asif Zardari, caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad and caretaker chief minister of Sindh Zahid Qurban Alvi to take serious notice of the brutal killings of Fakhrul Islam and Syed Shiraz Asghar.
He demanded that illegal raids on MQM offices and illegal detentions and arrests in areas where the MQM enjoyed public support must end and the people held in illegal detention must be released immediately.
In response to a question holding of free and fair elections member of the Co-ordination Committee Senator Mustafa Kamal said if someone believed that they could steal the elections in Karachi and Hyderabad, they were mistaken. He said that there was an international conspiracy to bleed Pakistan by marking cuts on its bodies.
Senator Kamal asked why everything was happening in Karachi. He said if the current situation persisted in Karachi, holding free and fair elections would not be possible. He strongly condemned illegal detentions and torture and said that it would only give rise to animosities.
Members of the Co-ordination Committee Kunwar Khalid Yunus, Wasay Jalil, Dr Sagheer Ahmed and Waseem Aftab were also present in the press conference.
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4/29/2024 9:40:44 AM
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