Addressing his supporters via video link on Wednesday evening, Altaf asked why all those lawyers, who had participated in the movement to restore judiciary, do not protest that all those involved in 1999 coup were not being tried along with Musharraf.
Democracy without local government is worse than dictatorship
Talking about local government and democracy, the MQM chief said, “For me a democratic system without local government is worse than a dictatorship.”
The MQM chief said whenever a civil government comes in to power in Pakistan, it never holds local bodies elections, which is the basic element of any democratic society. He added that army dictatorships should be given the credit for holding local government elections.
“I would like to ask all the so called democrats and intellectuals, what is democracy?” MQM chief asked. Democracy is a system of government, by the people, off the people and for the people, it is not the rule of a family or feudals, he added.
Talking about delayed justice and imprisonment of people for longer than their stipulated sentences, Altaf urged the judiciary to start accountability of lower judiciary.
The MQM chief further suggested that courts should be set up in jails and inmates should be asked for how long they have been imprisoned. If prisoners have completed their term then they should be released.
Responding to criticism for calling for more administrative units, Altaf said that PPP’s government had presented the resolution in the assembly for the creation of South Punjab, and now PPP’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is talking against the creation of new administrative units in Sindh. Addressing Bilawal, he said, “You have studied abroad, are you not aware that new administrative units are created with increase in population.”
He alleged that PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari has found a new way of criticising people, “Where he [Zardari] does not want to say something directly, he directs Bilawal to say it.”
Commenting on current political impasse, the MQM chief said, “I urge the incumbent government to accept the demands of PAT and PTI, as most of their demands are just and let the machinery of state work.”
MQM government
Talking about an MQM government and what they would do if they came into power, Altaf claimed that MQM’s government can come into power if the establishment helps them. "But I do not know why establishment is against us.”
"If our party comes in power, in one year, we will evict the loan takers from their palaces and build schools and welfare organisations there," said MQM chief.
Referring to the prevailing energy crisis in the country, MQM chief said, “Government says they would buy electricity from China, India, I ask then why don’t they generate electricity at home?” If people of Sindh have reservations over the construction of Kalabagh Dam, then construct a network of small dams all over the country, he advised.
COMMENTS (38)
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@Surprised: U might be blind but not the entire city.
@tariq: Does anyone really need "moral ground" to criticize a party accused day and night about practicing coercive politics. Neighborhoods abound where almost daily air firing takes place, mainly at night, to scare people. Extortion is widespread. In educational institutions, especially colleges and universities, teachers are under awe and are likely not to antagonize, for example, an in-charge of a faculty whose grade was not to his liking, even if he performed below the level of a passing grade. Only party protagonists do not see any thing wrong with the practices of the Party.
@salim: " There are no abettors!!! " Okay, abettors, yes, but they obeyed the orders of the dictator and they could only defy at their own peril. Further, if abettors should be tried, let Musharraf bring their names to the Court and ask for their trial. But the buck stops at the despot.
@mrs ahmed:
Spot on. Just don't take opponent's comments serious.They have no moral ground to criticise MQM.
One man imposes emergency and the same man implements it completely. There are no abettors!!! Either this is a sheer lack of common sense or the worst kind of vindictiveness or revenge.
@mrs ahmed: You say Altaf is "...anti sectarian divide..." Yes, he says that but has a leaning toward a certain sect. Sad. Unfortunately, many if not most of his followers know not as the ethnic slogan and agenda is superimposed.
@james: He is supporting IK and Quadri on this common agenda. You understand who is writing the script?
@Right on: The anti-other-ethnic antagonism of MQM has initiated the suffering of the Mohajir and as such the future of Mohajirs in Pakistan insecure.
@tariq: karachi rallies behind ,thosewho speak for their rights ,thats all never once imran spoke aginast Quota system , which is eating the very merit , quality and talent of true blood karachiites,,the real karachi was build by sweat and blood of our parents and grand parents he never spoke against atrocities and genocide we true karachiites have been subjected to ,never a word for directly elected mayor for our mega city , always blabing about western democracies , does he not know how london and newyork is run and other cities of the world , we karachiites have full potential to run our city under a directly elected mayor , and karachi assembly ,like london mayor and london assembly, locally recruited police , city govt running transport, health , education and civic needs , and collect revenue and dispense honestly and judiously , all peace and harmony flows from the fountain of equality and justice. So mr imran before landing in karachi take a little lesson from true blood karachiites, and dont rely on ppl who adopted u as a new fashion, majority and very big majorityof true blood karachiites dont support in poltics for fashion , they look at ideas ,plans which r relevant to their aspirations
@Ashah: this is irrelevant,that i am educated or not , my for most reason in supporting Quaid Tehrik , is that he is the lone voice for religious ,harmony ,anti sectarian divide ,vocal against all discrimination and persecution against minorities , ahmedis ,aga khanis , shias and other faiths , yesterday he reiterated his resolve to remove minority word from the constitution,making all pakistanis equal citizens. All evil stems from religious extremism , AH is the bravest voice against this menace eating into the fabric of our country. He talks about local body election and city govt,i am sure u must be aware all mega cities like london ,newyork paris tehran ......are governed by city govt which hold control over locally recruited police , health , educatiob transport ,civic needs revenue etc under a directly elected mayor, we have seen a model in mustafa era , the tertiary level of governance , which is the basic building block of real democracy . Aginst all discrimination , be it ethnicity , gender (women rights and equality is preached and parcticed inMQM )race religion ...... No hereditory politics , regularly purges his party against any element who are not fully honest ,in serving the people. MQM and Altaf Hussain , is modern , moderate , pluralistic ,inclusive in approach ,abhors extremism , believes in merit and qualification shuns nepotism , speaks for those who not given voice by any other quarter. When 12 may is discussed , 1964(guaher ayub attck on mohajirs )1986, 30 june, pucca qila , kati pahari , and many other genocide against children of ppl who struggled for the creation of pak. He wish equal rights and opportunities for all pakistanis ,justice and equality his main aim , these two are the main factor on which a progressive society is build on , actually true islamic society is the one which uphold justice and equalty ,peace and progress is the natural outcome it is just few things i have mentioned
@Pro-Mohajir: Yes, the MQM has hurt the interests and the cause of mohajirs.
@mrs ahmed: Sabi, as I understand, simply means that all other leaders of Pakistan have molded themselves and have been receptive to the urges of the present difficult situation of Pakistan, including and not just because of the massive flooding, however the gravity of the situation has not dawned on your leader.
@Jalbani Baloch: the people of Karachi are now enlightened and cannot be deceived anymore.U have been saying this for a long time.The word change has been stolen from Obama election campaign by Imran Khan.How far KPK changed? Change stands for Telling lies,calling names beating Police and destroying public properties and taking U-turn frequently.Advise this stubborn child not to copy Obama.It is not Altaf Hussain but Imran Khan who is trying to gain cheap popularity through dharnas and bluffs.Imran Khan said that he would conduct LB election in KPK in 90 days.Where is LB in KPK,was it 90 days or 90 years.Listen son making more province on administrative ground is real issue.
On the matter of additional provinces or "administrative units" the only solution is to have a national referendum which will probably result in a positive vote. It will then be that true colors of so called "democratic parties" will be known.
@Ashah: Should every body see with your eyes? Calling a man mad is madness in itself.Grow up son.First prove yourself that u r sane.
@sabi: wha?t,i could not figure out any sense from ur comment
Local body elections or dharna! Equal division of resources or dharna!! New administrative units or dharna!!! I think that is what our sitting govts. of PML N and PPP understand. Should we go this way for all the peoples' demand? is this what our "elected representatives" understand and how they will start moving to give people what they want? ...or do we have to off load them from the flight to make sure that the Pakistani nation takes off on time?
He is simply irrelevant even within his own party, therefore, he is trying to gain cheap popularity by raising some non-issues like creation of more provinces, trial of Musharraf, local bodies elections and etc, while the readers memory is not short to ignore that his own party has been in all successive governments more than any party has ever remained in power politics. Please no more dramas, the people of Karachi are now enlightened and cannot be deceived anymore. In the last election, the people of Karachi expressed their will out of fear and voted for change, which will soon engulf whole Karachi.
People are dying and flooded in Punjab and Sindh and Bhai is worried about one retired dictator with highest perks. Why would we not offer to let IDP settle in Karachi and Hyderabad to help them out? They are displaced as a result of army action and not by their own free will. Let us help them the same way as Sindhi and Punjabi helped settlers from India and East Pakistan.
@Zack: And, handover Musharraf for prosecution for subverting the State and its Constitution.
@mrs ahmed: R U educated ? if you are I don't see how you follow this mad man ?
@Pro-Mohajir: Agreed. Indeed, if MQM would not have antagonized the Sindhis, we mohajirs would have the opportunity to multiply and live peacefully in Sindh's interior and since our birth rate and survival rate is higher we could have slowly and imperceptibly gained in numbers and would have exerted more political influence also in the non-urban areas, which typically have constituencies with fewer people as compared to major urban areas, especially Karachi. But lack of foresight caused us grave political and economic losses.
Please handover MQM to Musharraf!!!
Scotland is breaking away, bhai! Next song and dance item on that, perhaps?
The mention of local bodies is welcome but I wonder why it is raised by MQM every once in a while and then dies an unnatural death. MQM needs to realize that this is the only issue of essence, nothing else, for MQM and fir Sindh's urban areas. MQM needs to work for a single point agenda with full focus - the establishment of a metropolitan government in Karachi and whichever other urban areas in Sindh, which deserve such a right, as per imternational rules and practices of local government.
PTI's leader is well known for his anti Karachi stance but I can bet if PTI or its leader were really sincere to Karachi, or they decide to become sincere, and put in a sincere demand for a metropolitan government in Karachi, with police and transport under an autonomous authority, they can really give mqm a run for their money. MQM really needs to come out of the now increasingly fusty cloak of hunting with the hound and running with the hare.
The renewed demand for LB should not be allowed to be compromised on the altar of bargaining politics. This demand does not need to be mixed up with new administrative units which would make it look like a zero sum game to rural sindh. Metropolitan governments can be established in sindh without unnecessarily giving it an ethnic color. All permanent citizens of Karachi with the interests of Karachi at heart shoukd be canvassed in support if this demand.
PTI certainly failed in its million man march in Islamabad but if mqm is worth its salt it can and should organise one in Karachi on this one point agenda and not leave the streets till it has gotten this just demand accepted.
@Actually:
I'm not at all a fan of Altaf, but with all due respect, the court knows jack
Allah has blessed him with great big spherical objects since he is in the UK.
Well spoken Altaf! We all know the Musharraf trial is a vendetta. Today the FIA head stated in court the emergency was legal if Musharraf had acted as President, but because he signed it as COAS it is treason. Such nonsense has this case droppped to this level. The fact that it's the same person and regardless the signature would be the same is lost on these vendetta-filled officials of this government and some of the judiciary. Moreover, the letter from PM Shauklat Aziz is in front of the whole nation, not to speak of the video of his speech, in which he recommended to Musharraf to promulgate the emergency, yet the FIA did not feel it important to record Shaukat Aziz's testimony. This is a nonsense case and we all know it. A waste of the nation's time and resources.
@mrs ahmed: It's good to offer namaz on its proper time but good deed would be to save a sinking man and postpone namaz when falling at the same time. There are many politicians who have realized the need of the hour but I'm afraid your leaders haven't.
True... Musharraf's case is now only NS personal revenge case. Go Nawaz Go
As a Mohjir, I feel that MQM should take a low key approach to national issues. Instead of parochialism, it should try to gel within the national mainstream. Its aggressive posturing alienates the Mohijirin across the nation. It has angered the major ethnic groups of Pakistan. In 1986, it took on the Pathans of Karachi, subsequently the Sindhis felt challenged and the Mohajirs in the interior of Sindh had to sell their lands and property cheaply or just abandon them and escape to mostly Karachi, Hyderabad, and Mirpurkhas. As a result the Mohajirs were deprived and suffered impoverishment. If that was not enough, some Punjabi businessmen who were subject to extortion relocated their factories and businesses to Punjab thus depriving Karachi of significant business and tax losses. Now, wherever the Mohajirs go they are looked at unfavorably and I personally had to suffer on that count.
Irrelevant bloated man. Leave us in peace.
@mrs ahmed: "wonderful speech," really??? Call for division of Sindh in the garb of creating more provinces or administrative units has been rejected by PPP and is unlikely to create any goodwill with the Sindhi nationalists. Do you realize that such attitudes have caused many ethnic groups to start opposing us, mohajirs? Indeed, in many parts of the country, the urdu-speaking people are subject to back lash and discrimination. The mohajir cause suffers adversely because of such rhetoric.
@james: he is not worried about President Musharraf , his concern is grave injustice ,thats all
Sitting far away.........after some time your voice simply becomes just noise.
"... suo moto action against all those involved in the 1999 coup." The trial that is currently taking place is against the suspension/subversion of the Constitution in 2007. Actually, Musharraf is the main accused. So let him prove that he was not alone. Unless the Court asks, which is unlikely, Altaf should not advise the Court as the Court knows better.
why he is so worried about mush ???
wonderful speech local body election more province trial of all the generals abolition of minority status in pakisan oppology to workers is their any other leader with such dynamic approach