MQM-P to mark Black Day today

KARACHI:

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has announced that the party will observe Thursday as Black Day over the brutal treatment meted out to his party workers today.

A senior member of MQM-P North Karachi UC-5 joint organizer Aslam Bhai, who was injured in Wednesday’s protest, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre late on Wednesday evening, MQM-P spokesman said.

Several people, including women and children, were injured and many taken into custody on Wednesday after police resorted to baton-charge and shelling on MQM-P workers protesting against the recently passed amendments to the Sindh Local Government Act of 2013 in Karachi outside the CM House.

Senior leader of MQM-P MNA Kishwar Zahra was also injured in the clash with police and was taken to hospital for treatment, according to the party’s media cell.

Addressing the media outside the Karachi Press Cub, Siddiqui said there are reports that a year-old baby who was in his mother’s lap, died from being hit by a tear gas shell, “we pray that this news is wrong,” he said adding, “a white double-cabin SUV was seen hauling away three of our workers Rana Ansar, Zahida and Rabia, if they are not released by night, the police station concerned will be held responsible.”

He also demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan to get the Sindh IG removed via the provincial government, “or we will surround the CM House.”

He warned PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to “rein in your chief minister otherwise Bilawal House is also located in this city.”

The MQM-P convener throwing the gauntlet at the Sindh government said: “We do not want to fight, but you know very well that we do know how to fight... it is shameful not to fight if your honour is at stake,” he said and added that they cannot stand silent when their mothers and sisters are beaten on roads.

Khalid said that former Nazim of New Karachi Town Hanif Surti lost his eye as a result of police shelling. “The racist chief minister should pray that the city doesn’t rise or there could be severe consequences,” he warned.

He said that if MQM-P’s party workers are not released immediately then “they will be free to make their decisions”.

The MQM-P convener also asked the prime minister to visit the city at the earliest. “The IG you have sent is more like a commissioner of Sindhu Desh.” Khalid also demanded Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s resignation, “otherwise the city’s doors will be shut for him”. Khalid also urged the students, industrialists and businessmen to raise their voices against the oppression by the provincial government.

‘Protest a bid to divert
attention from real issues’

Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani, while talking to The Express Tribune, said the opposition parties, including MQM-P, who were protesting against the local government bill, wanted to divert attention from the real public issues.

“The biggest problems at the moment are the gas crisis, the monthly rise in electricity tariffs, the sharp rise in medicine prices and inflation,” he added.

Ghani questioned why the MQM-P did not protest against the federal government on public issues, adding that the issue of the local government bill will be resolved in the provincial assembly, not on the streets.

“It is not right to harass people on the streets... PPP believes in solving problems in a democratic manner.”

Ghani said that PPP was not against demonstrations but Pakistan Super League (PSL) was about to begin and there were “security concerns”.

“We had asked MQM-P to protest in front of Karachi Press Club but they did not listen... due to security concerns, the administration took action,” he added.

Condemnations

PTI’s Parliamentary Leader in Sindh Assembly Khurram Sher Zaman, while condemning the Sindh government, said that “pro-democratic forces” were being punished for protesting against the local government bill.

He questioned why the police did not use such tactics on criminal elements, adding that the PPP government was using the force for political rivals.

Khurram said “Governor’s rule” was the only option left against the behaviour of Sindh government.

Federal ministers including Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Fawad Chaudhry, Ali Zaidi and Asad Umar condemned the baton charge by Sindh Police on MQM-P rally.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed sought report from Sindh Chief Secretary and IGP while Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry strongly condemned the Sindh government’s bullying peaceful protesters.

“At a time when an event like PSL is about to take place, there was no justification for the incident of violence,” said Chaudhry. “The PTI Sindh leadership is closely monitoring the situation and all our support is with the MQM,” the information minister added.

Meanwhile, PTI Sindh President and Federal Minister Ali Zaidi contacted MQM-P leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and strongly condemned the incident. “Police brutality by Sindh government is very shameful. Unarmed workers, women and members of parliament were beaten with sticks. The dictatorship of Zardari and his secretary is established in Sindh,” Zaidi said.

The federal minister alleged that the PPP wanted to sabotage the cricket activity in the city. “PPP does not want peace and prosperity in the country. PTI expresses solidarity with MQM workers,” he said and demanded that arrested MQM workers should be released immediately.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2022.