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MQM postpones cleanliness drive after ‘large-scale arrests’ of party workers

Decision was taken in an emergency meeting of Rabita Committee headed by Convener Nadeem Nusrat

Rabia Ali March 22, 2016

MQM’s mayor-nominee Wasim Akhtar drives a mechanised dumper in Lines Area during the cleanliness campaign that kicked off on March 10, 2016. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN / EXPRESS

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has decided to postpone its cleanliness drive, ‘Clean Karachi Campaign’, in the metropolis until an indefinite period of time due to "large-scale arrests" of its party workers.

“Taking cognisance of the arrest of several party leaders, workers and elected representatives the MQM has decided to temporarily postpone the cleanliness drive,” said a statement issued by the party late Monday night.

MQM starts cleanliness drive by spraying over own slogans

Rangers have arrested elected #MQM UC councillor Nadir Hussain during Cleanliness Campaign in Baldia Town, KHI. R.I.P. National Action Plan!
— Dr. Nadeem Nusrat (@nadeem_nusrat) March 21, 2016

According to the communique, the decision was taken in an emergency meeting of the party’s Rabita Committee headed by its Convener Nadeem Nusrat in London.

Further, in one of his Twitter messages, the senior MQM leader claimed that his party was forced to stop the cleanliness drive which was launched earlier this month. “It’s unfortunate but no other choice was left,” the microblogging website's message said.

Due to large scale arrests of party workers, #MQM has decided 2 postpone cleanliness campaign. It's unfortunate but no other choice was left
— Dr. Nadeem Nusrat (@nadeem_nusrat) March 21, 2016

Meanwhile, other party leaders also expressed disappointment over the arrests of party workers and subsequent postponement of the cleanliness campaign in the city.

If you and the detractors are happy that MQM has been forced to call off the cleaning campaign. Aap ko aap ka kachra mubarak ho.
— Syed Ali Raza Abidi (@abidifactor) March 21, 2016

Clean karachi: MQM continues cleanliness drive

https://twitter.com/KunwarKhalidYun/status/712125946447400960

The announcement came only a day after Rangers personnel arrested a senior MQM office-bearer from Karachi in a raid early Monday morning. “Rangers arrested MQM Rabita Committee Deputy Convener Shahid Pasha during a raid at his apartment in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of the metropolis,” a statement issued by the party said.

The MQM had kicked off its cleanliness drive in the city on March 10 by removing political and hateful graffiti sprayed on the walls, including those sprayed with party slogans.

As part of the campaign, the party’s mayor-nominee, Wasim Akhtar, had spray-painted a wall in Lines Area on which a party slogan was inscribed. “We will also erase wall-chalking and are starting by removing our own slogans,” he said.

Rangers arrest MQM Deputy Convener Shahid Pasha

The MQM had launched the campaign in all districts of the city with parliamentarians, Rabita Committee members and workers participating in a bid to clean the city.

During the drive, which was set to continue till the mayor and deputy mayor assume office, the party was seen cleaning the streets everyday from 9am to 5pm in different union councils (UCs) of the city.

COMMENTS (9)

shafi | 8 years ago | Reply @,S.R.H. hashmi for years and years Target killing ,extortion continue in karachi, off course MQM is not responsible but is it not MQM responsibilty to dig out who is behind such a killings as they were part of govt from 2002-13

Napier Mole | 8 years ago | Reply No doubt there are some in the corridors of power and agencies who are gloating over the discomfort and backfootness of MQM. However, what these myopic persons are not realising is the sense of dismay, frustration and resentment which is deepening among the masses of urban sindh. The local bodies elections provided an occassion when the establishment could have come to terms with mqm, after having clipped its millitant wings. However, egos rather than than any objective reality now seems to be driving this campaign against mqm. As a result, a state of limbo exists in all matters relating to Karachi - a state whcih serves those who are exploiting this city.

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S | 8 years ago | Reply @S.R.H. Hashmi: Lol. They didn't start it on their own; they aren't that moral. They did it out of panic after seeing the negative attention the party was receiving.

Shakil Ahmed | 8 years ago | Reply So arrest of few members can grind MQM to halt? where are millions of supporters? If a person is arrested, he is suspect of a crime, why he shouldnt be arrested only because he is a member of MQM?

Razi | 8 years ago | Reply Why are these brits concerned about the internal matters of the Pakistani state? Nadeem Nusrat should keep his brit passport and comments to himself. You lost your vote/voice when you left the country for the Brit passport buddy!

S.R.H. Hashmi | 8 years ago | Reply Looks like the establishment is trying its best to be third-time lucky in its attempt to beak up the MQM, and is prepared to go to any length, irrespective of what it may cost Karachi and its residents. With the years’ accumulation of garbage on city streets, people welcomed the move by MQM to start cleanliness drive on its own. And not in an altogether unpredictable move, Peoples Party refused to spare the necessary machinery for this purpose. One would have thought that Rangers who have sufficient influence would have pressured the Peoples Party to allow the use of heavy machinery to MQM in order to enable it to do its work effectively. However, shocked over the lack of support received by Mustafa Kamal, they have instead started arresting the MQM workers, as alleged by the party, thus forcing it to postpone the cleanliness drive. It is really surprising that the top leadership of the country is so unconcerned with the real problems of the country and the people. We see the civilian government has once again postponed the already much overdue housing and population census and is busy signing costly contracts, with costs greatly inflated by its hefty commission added on top, thus burdening the country with massive loans which it has little capacity to pay. It is also bent upon delivering the state assets at rock bottom prices, having perhaps already made the deal. The government did try to bulldoze the bill allowing creation of the new airline but on meeting tough resistance, it has postponed for three weeks the presentation of the bill joint session of the Parliament, which period it will use to buy out the opponents. And while the civilian government is doing all this, the establishment is busy trying to hack down MQM in order to create space for its favourites, the former MQM members whom it has given a clean chit. It is quite a shameful state of affairs. Karachi

Haji Atiya | 8 years ago | Reply Guess coming clean was just too much to expect from them.

Hatim | 8 years ago | Reply What do the arrests of workers have to do with a cleanliness drive? This just shows that they were never serious about the city's garbage problems in the first place.

Lord | 8 years ago | Reply Thats max mqm can do for its voter. Agitation reserved for leader and workers only.

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