Wishes and aspirations of Saraiki people should be respected and a Saraiki Province should be formed – Altaf Hussain

Muzaffargarh – 30 December 2004 Mr. Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has said that like other oppressed nations of the country, Saraiki people are also deprived of their rights. He supported the demand of Saraiki people for Saraiki province and asked the ruling oligarchy to respect the wishes and aspirations of Saraiki people and grant them with Saraiki province, give them their rights and they should be treated equally. He said that the tradition of calling traitors to those, who demand their rights, should be finished and MQM should be given freedom to operate in every part of the country. He expressed these views today, while addressing scholars, professors, journalists, doctors, engineers, lawyers and people from all walks of life in Muzaffargarh, Multan. A large number of the workers of MQM Punjab were also present. Mr. Altaf Hussain drew comparisons between development in Pakistan and India and said that India got independence one day after Pakistan and if a factual assessment is made of the pace of development of both the countries, we will see that India is far more ahead than Pakistan in the fields of education, health, industries, technologies and many more. All the cars, buses and other machineries in India are produced locally. All the ministers, including the President and Prime Minister, use the vehicles, produced in India. The reason for such pace in development is because India had abolished feudal system, immediately after the independence while the medieval feudal system prevails until today in Pakistan. Mr. Altaf Hussain said that the reason for not abolishing feudal system in Pakistan is that Quaid-e-Azam died just after one year of Pakistan’s independence and Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, right hand man of Quaid-e-Azam was also murdered and therefore, the feudal lords immediately took control of the country. He said that since last 57 years, only faces have changed while the same few families rule Pakistan. No matter how educated and talented someone is from the common masses, he cannot obtain candidacy for elections from the political parties because he can neither pay the huge amounts to the political parties nor he can bear the expenses of elections. He said that MQM has sent educated and talented people from middle class to the assemblies and bear their elections expenses as well. He further said that the major political parties have always protected the interests of the feudal lords; therefore, it is necessary for the lower and middle class to bring out leadership from their ranks and send them to the assemblies to eliminate feudal system and save Pakistan. He said that it is unfortunate that establishment and feudal lords divided the common people through their negative policies and the level of injustice is that the smaller provinces are obliged to say today that British rule was better than today. He said that it is unfortunate that whosoever demand their rights, are awarded with a certificate of treason. Bengalis had voted 100% for the creation of Pakistan and had given many sacrifices but when they asked for their rights, they were declared traitors. Despite getting majority in the elections of 1970, Awami League was not allowed to form the government. The establishment of the West Pakistan thought that they will kill Bengalis and crush them with their military might. He said that the localities of Bengalis were bombarded, their genocide was committed and more than two hundred thousand Muslim sisters and daughters were raped and finally the country was dismantled. He said that unfortunately, the same practice is repeated today and for demanding their rights, the people of Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP are declared traitors and the certificates of treason are distributed by those, who did not give any sacrifice for the creation of Pakistan. He said that the people of NWFP want that the name of their province should be Pakhtoonkhwah or Pashtoonkhwah, but this demand is also termed as treason. He asked that is it treason to demand for the change of name of their province, which was named by the British? Mr. Altaf Hussain said that if the people of Siraiki area of Punjab demand their rights and if they ask that they should be treated equally, their areas should also be developed and they should be given equal share and if the establishment, in retaliation, starts an operation against them and if they think that they will crush their movement by force, they are mistaken because when nations arise, they cannot be crushed by force. He said that some people are demanding for establishment of Siraiki province and if the establishment decides to crush them by force and if their genocide will be committed, then God forbid; it is possible that these people will demand for an independent State. Mr. Altaf Hussain said that to distract people, negative propaganda has been started in Punjab that MQM wants to create Jinnahpur, MQM is against Punjabis and it fights with Pakhtoons while the reality is that MQM does not fight with anyone and all the riots are created by the establishment so that people keep fighting with each other and MQM should be considered as their enemy so that they do not join the MQM. He said that the final victory would be of the people because even after so many conspiracies, many Punjabis and Pakhtoons are joining MQM. Mr. Altaf Hussain said that it is being claimed that MQM is a regional party and despite changing its name to Muttahida Quami Movement, it does not operate in the entire country. He said that MQM wants to spread its organization in every corner of the country but when the offices of MQM were established in Punjab, Balochistan and NWFP and Army operation was launched against MQM, the offices of MQM in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan were sealed and all our zonal organizers and workers were unlawfully arrested and sent to Adiala jail and even their families were tortured because the alliance of establishment and feudal lords were frightened that if MQM will spread in Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh, what will happen to them? He said that we are not disappointed and our workers in these provinces are performing their organisational duties and Insha Allah the organization will be established in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan very soon. He said that it is necessary that in spite of creating obstacles for MQM, it should be allowed to work freely in whole the country. Mr. Altaf Hussain said that the problems of the people of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and NWFP are similar and people from all walks of life, including poor and middle class, scholars, professors, doctors, engineers and lawyers have to come forward for the attainment of their rights. Mr. Altaf Hussain informed the participants that angles do not bring revolutions but it is the deprived and oppressed people, who have to struggle. Revolutions do not come about in one day but it is a long struggle. If the 98% poor and middle class people get united, no one can stop the revolution. Mr. Altaf Hussain said that when the feudal system will be eliminated from Pakistan and rule of middle class would be established then we will establish fair and free judicial system. There will be no double standards in education and same courses will be for the children of both poor and rich people. Health facilities will be equal for everyone and religious intolerance and sectarianism will be eliminated. He said that people from any religion or sect do not want to fight each other but it is the religious extremists, who spread hatred on the name of religion and sect and make people fight with each other. Mr. Altaf Hussain said that when he visited India, he pleaded the case of Pakistan there and spoke of the problems of Kashmiris, Palestinians and Iraqis but different stories were created against him. He said that when the Chief Minister of Punjab goes to India and touches the doorsteps of a Gurdwara, it is said that separated brothers are getting united. On the other hand, when he went to India and visited the shrines of Hazrat Khawajah Nizam Uddin Auliya (RA) and Hazrat Khawajah Moin Uddin Chishti (RA), it was said that he had gone there for the cause of Greater India. He said that when Nawaz Sharif granted his ancestral home for the construction of a Gurdwara, he was praised of being generous and if Altaf Hussain would have given his ancestral home for the construction of a temple, it would have been said that Altaf Hussain is the agent of India and Hindus. He said that this practice and way of thinking is not suitable for the country. He said that Altaf Hussain is as much patriot as Nawaz Sharif, Benazir or any Army General. He said that the biggest Pakistanis are those, who are tied into the chains of feudal system and who are from poor and middle class and are deprived of their rights. He said that we have to bring true independence of Pakistan by providing freedom for the poor and oppressed farmers and slaves of the medieval feudalistic culture. Mr. Altaf Hussain paid heartiest tributes to the workers of MQM Punjab and said that by organizing this gathering in Muzaffargarh, they have in fact served Pakistan.