The News International: July 17, 1998

Govt agrees to remove MQM's apprehensions about census

News Desk

KARACHI: The federal government has agreed to remove the apprehensions of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) about the census in Karachi and other cities of Sindh.

This was decided in a meeting between MQM chief Altaf Hussain and Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday at the MQM's International Secretariat in London.

According to sources, the federal government has also agreed to take into confidence other provinces which have reservations over the census. This demand was also made by the MQM. In this regard, it was decided that a three-member committee of the MQM would scrutinise the census data and check its mechanism in order to alleviate their apprehensions.

According to a statement, the meeting which lasted for more than three hours discussed in detail the prevailing political and economic situation of the country, particularly the existing deteriorating situation of Karachi. Altaf apprised Nisar of the unabated killings of Muttahida workers and the reign of terrorism let loose by Haqiqi terrorists, siege and search of Mohajir localities by law-enforcement agencies, and mass scale arrests of MQM workers and sympathisers. He expressed his resentment over these excesses.