K-P Convention: Unmask elements sowing Pakhtun-Mohajir rift, says Altaf

Forces have pitched Pakhtuns, Mohajirs against each other to hinder development of both ethnicities: MQM chief

ISLAMABAD:

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Sunday lashed out at the “hidden forces” that were attempting to poison relations between Pakhtuns and Mohajirs in the country and underlined the need for unmasking the conspirators.

“The elements creating a rift between Pakhtuns and Mohajirs must be unmasked,” MQM chief Altaf Hussain  told the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Convention in Islamabad.

Without naming them, Altaf said, these forces have pitched Pakhtuns and Mohajirs against each other to hinder growth and development of both ethnicities, he added.

The party’s convention -- the first of its kind by MQM to reach out to the people of K-P ahead of the forthcoming general elections -- was attended by people from across the province, especially the Hazara region.

The MQM, while being a part of the incumbent government, had supported the creation of the new Hazara province in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, hence earning support from the region.

Addressing the participants by phone, the MQM chief clarified that there has not been a conflict between two ethnicities for the last three to five decades.

Praising the Pakhtun leader Bacha Khan and the Awami National Party (ANP), Altaf Hussain said that both his party and ANP are revolutionaries yet peace-loving parties.

He claimed that not only are rifts being created between Pakhtuns and Mohajirs but also attempts were under way to sow discord between Pakhtuns and Hazarawal in the province.

Taking credit for renaming the province, MQM chief said that his party demanded a new name to give back to the people their identity – as the former name was given by British colonial rulers.

The MQM chief made it clear that he was not seeking public office. “None of my relatives were ever given MQM ticket to contests elections,” he said while questioning whether any party in the country had such a system where their top leader and relatives kept themselves away from polls.

Altaf also criticised the destruction of schools, mosques, Imambarghas in K-P by terrorists.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2013.