On Friday, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Coordination Committee, decided that they would hold a ‘peaceful protest’ on Saturday (today) against the government’s ‘non-serious attitude’ to the party’s demands to step up against extortionists in Karachi and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPAs in the Sindh Assembly.
One of several statements issued by the MQM noted that “the PPP MPAs not only not gave any assurance to take legal action against the extortion mafia for ridding the business community, but they switched off the microphones of the MQM members and did not allow them to speak.” The Coordination Committee has appealed to businessmen, traders and the public to support the protest and asked for business and educational activities to be suspended “voluntarily”.
MQM leaders at the protest at the Sindh Assembly underscored their concern for the state of Karachi. MQM Deputy Parliamentary Leader Faisal Subzwari noted that “the increasing activities of the extortion mafia should have been a cause of grave concern for the government” while MQM Coordination Committee member Waseem Aftab said the party was aware of who was behind the Shershah market attack, referring to the October 2010 incident in which 13 workers and owners in the market were killed.
The pressure from the MQM on the PPP has been building for several days now. In a strongly worded statement issued by the Coordination Committee early Friday morning, the party told the Sindh Assembly members – those who had “seized on to power” and were “landlords” to get their act together or it knew how to empty out the assembly. The MQM said that its propensity for peace should not be considered a “weakness”. “Till today, the MQM chief Altaf Hussain has restricted us and we ask him to free us so we can respond to these legislators in a language they’ll understand,” the statement read. The MQM also called on feudal landlords to not consider them as their “workers and slaves” and asked that they be treated as human beings.
Strike all around
Along with the MQM will be protesting the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad that has called for all businesses to be shut. The call was backed by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Pakistan Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The traders of jewellery, electronic, mobile phone markets and the Timber Market and Jodia Bazaar have announced that they will shut shop too. The associations of industrial areas are also supporting the strike.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2012.
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@ Tehreek e Insaaf ,Imran never uttered anything against the extortionists !!!!! SO Imran has read the writing on the wall ......... he has been ditched in Karachi .ehhhhh ?
Is this called "Crocodile Tears"?