MQM-P won't call off its November 5 rally, says Farooq Sattar

MQM-P not being allowed to rally outside Mazar-e-Quaid as Grand Democratic Alliance staging protest there on same day

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) chief Farooq Sattar announced on Wednesday that his party would stage its November 5 rally despite the authorities refraining it from doing so.

"We had sought permission for staging a rally outside the Mazar-e-Quaid 15 days prior to the event," Sattar told reporters in Karachi.

"However, two days before the rally, the authorities notified us that we can't stage a protest outside the Mazar-e-Quaid because the Grand Democratic Alliance was staging a rally there on the same day," he added.

"We then requested that we be allowed to stage a rally on the nearby Shahrah-e-Quaideen but the authorities didn't permit us to do that either."

Sattar claimed that the MQM-P was again being treated unfairly.



"Our flags are banners are being taken down [at the Mazar-e-Quaid] while those of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Jamiat Talaba Islam are still there," he maintained.

"We will organise the rally on the same day and time. We will announce the new venue later."

The MQM-P is organising a rally against the results of the latest census, which the party claims shows the population of Karachi less than what it actually was.

The MQM-P chief rejected the accusations of Sarfaraz Merchant against party leaders in a money laundering case, calling them 'false' and 'baseless'.

He claimed that Merchant had supervised illegal activities in Karachi.

Sattar also asserted that the party was not in touch with MQM-London or its chief Altaf Hussain.

Earlier, the party had called off a protest of a similar nature on September 16 after which the party contacted city authorities seeking permission to hold rally on November 5 at Quaid-e-Azam's mausoleum.