Founder and Leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Mr Altaf Hussain has said every department in Pakistan including the freedom of the country has been usurped. He said that the Armed Forces, the ISI, political and religious leaders and the business community should make practical efforts for making Pakistan a prosperous country and for saving the country from further disintegration.
Mr Hussain said that the support to the terrorists must stop and full autonomy should be given to the provinces. Confrontation between the parliament and the judiciary must be diffused as the good of the people lay in this. He was addressing a large gathering at the Annual Assistance Programme of the KKF in Jinnah Ground in Azizabad.
Mr Hussain said that Pakistan was passing through the critical juncture of its existence. In 1971 the people at the helm of affairs were warned about the looming threats and advised to work with knowledge and judgement but the civil and military powers at that time threw the warnings to the wind resulting in the dismemberment of the country.
Mr Hussain said that the country was once again passing through similar circumstances. Lives of common people have been made miserable by load-shedding of natural gas and electricity, poverty, unemployment and rising cost of living. Members of the business community were relocating their business to foreign countries because of the failing law and order situation in the country while the remaining business persons were demanding arms license for protecting themselves.
Mr Hussain said that Sindh was the land of peace but people hailing from the Hindu community were migrating to India because of insecurity. Referring to the famous speech by the Quaid-i-Azam to the Legislative Assembly on 11th August 1948, he said that the freedom obtained in 1947 was held hostage by powerful elements.
Mr Hussain said that even education in Pakistan was not free. There were different institutions for the children on the rich and privileged class where education was given in English following the British or the US standards while the children of the poor people had to learn in Urdu medium schools with poor standards. He said that Urdu is the national language of the country but the workings of the government, courts, prime minister house, and president house were done in English. He said that even the national language was not free and held in hostage.
Mr Hussain said that the politics in the country was also not free. A culture of dynastic politics was in full force. He said that the MQM is the only political party that was free from the abominable culture of hereditary politics.
Mr Hussain said that there was nothing to celebrate when every department of life in Pakistan was being usurped.
Mr Hussain said that the MQM was being accused of failing to control the menace of extortion although it was a part of the government. He said that the people of Karachi, shop keepers and traders have been left to the mercy of the extortion mafia. The governor and the chief minister of the province but perhaps they were not free to take action.
Mr Hussain asked how the MQM could be expected to change the system and end extortion when even Dr AQ Khan who had made Pakistan a nuclear power was incarcerated.
Mr Hussain said everyone in the country was crying hoarse to make Karachi a weapon-free city but no one ever talked about destroying the factories where the arms were manufactured. He said that arms were coming in Karachi by passing through a number of check-posts spanning over a distance of thousands of miles. These check-posts are manned by army, rangers, anti-narcotics force and police. He asked if the MQM was to blame if arms were entering Karachi despite this.
Mr Hussain said that a notorious terrorist who did not even have sufficient money to buy food was given bungalows in the Defence area of Karachi. He said that he had brought this to the notice of the president and the federal interior minister but no action was taken.
Mr Hussain said that the armed forces, military institutions, ISI, rangers, police, judiciary and political and religious forces should take heed in the holy month of Ramadan and learn from past mistakes. Everyone should work for saving Pakistan from further disintegration and struggle for making Pakistan a prosperous country.
Mr Hussain said that realities should be accepted and a consensus line of action should be agreed upon for saving Pakistan. If the politicians in the country could get united on the single-point agenda of national security by learning from the past mistakes, prosperity and advancement would become the fate of the country.
Earlier Mr Hussain also spoke working of the KKF and said that the annual programme was held regularly in the holy month of Ramadan in order to let everyone know that the goods and money collected by the KKF for the poor and needy people were actually being distributed to the deserving people.
Dr Farooq Sattar
Speaking on the occasion Deputy Convener of the Co-ordination Committee Dr Farooq Sattar said that serving the ailing humanity is the best form of worship. Mr Hussain has been giving the message of including the poor and needy people in the happiness of the Eid by ensuring assistance to the needy people in a dignified manner.
Dr Sattar said that Pakistan cannot become a strong country unless it is made a welfare state. He said that the people of Pakistan would have to be included in the process of advancement in order to make Pakistan a living nation and a democratic and civilized state.
Dr Sattar said that there was the challenging of getting Pakistan in 1947 but now in 2012 there is a greater challenge of saving Pakistan and building it. The idea of the Round Table Conference has been broached by Mr Hussain so that we may celebrate the next Independence Day with pride.
Dr Sattar reiterated that there should be a minimum national agenda for saving Pakistan.
Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan
Speaking on the occasion prominent nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan said that the MQM had rendered admirable services after the catastrophic earthquake and devastating floods in the country. He said that the MQM and the KKF continued their relief work to the last.
Dr AQ Khan said that he was very happy that he had come to attend the annual assistance programme of the KKF. He said that good and honest people should be voted at the time of election.
Dr AQ Khan said that the problem of load-shedding could have been solved easily but regretted that the problem has not been resolved despite the passage of over four years. He said that the poor people should not be considered helpless and weak as there is a limit of their patience.
Dr AQ Khan said that the law and order situation in Karachi was in bad shape. He said that the home ministry in Sindh should be given to Mr Rauf Siddiqui as a test.
Senator Mustafa Kamal
Chief Trustee of the KKF Senator Mustafa Kamal said that the KKF has been helping the poor and needy people irrespective of the prejudices of caste, colour and ethnic background by distributing essential items and ration without hurting their dignity. He said that the MQM and KKF volunteers are always at the forefront working selflessly if there is a natural calamity in the country.
Senator Kamal said that the KKF had set up a modern hospital in Hyderabad equipped with ventilators for newly born children saving the lives of a number of children. Earlier newly born children with complications had to be shifted to Karachi in precarious condition as the ventilators for small children were not available in Hyderabad.
Tariq Mir
Speaking on the occasion Mr Tariq Mir, trustee of the KKF, said that the KKF was setting up schools in the city in order to promote quality education among poor people. He said that a modern university has also been founded in line with the vision of Mr Hussain. He thanked the people who had contributed generously to the KKF.