The MQM-Pakistan has come up with a rejoinder after 15 years, and it is worth analysing. Party’s convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui surprised everyone as he apologised for the happenings on May 12, 2007, which saw more than 50 lives lost in Karachi. It was another black day in our chequered politics as the MQM, which was part of the ruling coalition led by General Musharraf, flexed its muscles to obstruct the arrival in the city of then Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who had incidentally crossed swords with the government. The ensuing bloodbath is a blot of current history, and unfortunately there has been no retribution to this day.
What impact the MQM’s regrets will have on the country’s body-politics is anybody’s guess. But it is appreciative that perhaps for the first time in history a political force has taken a lesson in retrospection to remorse over its ill-will. Siddiqui, who is also a federal minister, made some interesting observations which reflected the party’s wisdom and farsightedness, and its desire to opt for a political correction. By terming MQM’s act of vandalism and confrontation on May 12 a ‘misjudgment’, the MQM has, indeed, presented itself for political prosecution. It remains to be seen what corrective course of action the party takes to reach out to the victims of the fateful day.
The MQM has a history of trial and error. From being the kingmaker in politics since 1988 to ending up as a fiasco in 2016, it has a lot to reflect upon. The convener made a pertinent point as he said the MQM-P stands ‘slightly weakened ideologically’, and it hopes that the next generation of leaders will fill in the void. Likewise, he was apt to remark that his party has been a victim of ‘marginalisation and violence’, as it was a ‘product of circumstances’. This new narrative of MQM will help in orchestrating its political steps in future. It is a sincere attempt to regrettably excuse for the highhandedness that political forces commit at the zenith of power in intoxication. May 12, 2007 is cast in history, and it is good that MQM has made its stance clear.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 7th, 2022.
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