MQM-P launches formal election campaign

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), a party that represents the Urdu-speaking community in Karachi and Hyderabad, launched its formal electoral campaign on Sunday, vowing to revive the city of Karachi and challenge the feudal lords of Sindh province.

MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar told a large crowd of supporters in Malir Town, a suburb of Karachi, that the new generation of Pakistanis would play a crucial role in saving the country from its current crises. He urged them to take their responsibilities seriously and join the MQM-P’s journey of unity and justice.

“The powerful feudal lords of Sindh, who had a tight grip on people’s rights for years, now face a challenge. With more than 50% of the province’s population residing in urban areas, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive 15-year audit of the province,” he said.

Sattar said that the MQM-P aims to reestablish the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) and rectify the dire situation of the water and sewage system in the city, which has been neglected for years by the Pakistan People’s Party government.

MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal, who served as the mayor of Karachi from 2005 to 2010, said that he had provided clean water to the city through pipelines, but now private water tankers dominate the supply, profiting from the scarcity.

He also said that he had created jobs for four out of 10 job seekers in Karachi, but now outsiders with fake domicile documents are taking away the opportunities from the local youth.

“The youth are struggling with unemployment, leading to a rise in suicides and drug addiction. Karachi, a once-thriving city 40 years ago, now witnesses residents relying on tanker water supplies. The MQM-P played a significant role in incorporating Karachi into the list of the world’s most successful cities during its tenure,” he said.

He said that the rally held in Malir Town signifies that all political parties in Pakistan cannot bring such huge number of people even if they attempt to do so.

“It was once believed that the people of Malir would not support MQM, but today, they have proven otherwise. The ripple effects of this event will extend from Gilgit-Baltistan to Punjab, Kashmir, and across Pakistan,” he said.

Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, another MQM-P leader, said that this event is not about elections but about a transition.

Live streaming Of Malir Town jalsa @allaboutmqm #MQMPakistan #MalirTownKaFaislaMQMP https://t.co/ZnrUuSyvZ6

— MQM Pakistan (@MQMPKOfficial) October 1, 2023

“Today, Malir announced the success of the righteous candidates. Karachi is not abandoned; your friends, your guardians, have returned. MQM-P is not divided, and after August 22, MQM-P is not just renewed, but it is a path to reach our destination. Those who wander along this path, which does not lead to the destination, are called ‘lost’,” he said.

Khalid Maqbool emphasized that the MQM-P did not fill the graveyards with martyrs in the last five years. The MQM-P did not scatter; it is still intact. “We do not need assemblies; Pakistan’s assemblies need us. Until Karachi is prosperous, Pakistan will not prosper. We have come back to win hearts, not just elections,” he said.

The MQM-P has been facing internal divisions and external pressure since August 2016, when its founder Altaf Hussain made anti-Pakistan remarks from his exile in London.

The party split into three factions, one led MQM-P led by Sattar, one by Pak Sarzameen Party led by Kamal and the third led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. All three factions claimed to represent the interests of Karachi’s urban population, before they merged again.

The MQM-P is hoping to regain its lost ground in Karachi and other urban areas of Sindh in the upcoming general election scheduled for the last week of January 2024. The party faces tough competition from other parties such as the PPP, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Jamaat-e-Islami.