PHOTO: APP
In an interview, Altaf said that at the time of partition, 20 million people migrated from different parts of India to come to Pakistan. He said that various people migrated from Eastern Punjab, UP, CP, Bihar and Hyderabad.
Read: MQM chief takes back decision to part ways with party
However, the MQM chief pointed out that in a recent address to the National Assembly, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that refugees from Bihar and Ludhiyana are also ‘Muhajirs,’ and expressed that this undermines the sacrifices of others.
Read: Altaf resigns, takes back decision
Altaf went on to say that he has worked very hard since the past 37 years to unite refugees from Muslim minority provinces, and yet the National Assembly still mocks them. Hence, Altaf decided that the time has come for him to step down as the chief.
MQM demands apology
Holding a presser at the MQM headquarters, the senior leaders of the MQM while demanding an apology for the remarks made in the NA on Monday, announced to stage a protest demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club against what they said was a 'discriminatory attitude of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government against the Muhajir community.'
Party leaders asked Khawaja Asif to take his words back and apologise to the 50 million Muhajirs over his remarks, vowing to continue the protest until the apology.
Terming the language used by the defence minister as inappropriate, poisonous and hate speech against the community, senior party leader Farooq Sattar raised concerns over the biased attitude of the government and its ministers.
“The foul language of Khawaja Asif exposed the mind-set of the PML-N government against Muhajirs,” Farooq said adding that “The words used by the defence minister are not only inappropriate but they also negate the concept of Pakistan and the two-nation theory.”
“At the time of partition, around 10 million people migrated towards Pakistan and out of which two million were killed,” Farooq said further. He also added that the government was trying to divide Muhajirs by using such tactics.
The remarks made by Asif were termed as derogatory and insulting for the Muhajirs, who gave enormous sacrifices during the war of independence.
Farooq questioned if Pakistan was formed only for a particular group and concluded by suggesting that the rights and status of the Muhajirs should be mentioned in the Constitution.
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