HYDERABAD, Oct 19: Voicing concerns over the ongoing delimitation for the upcoming local government elections in Sindh, a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Saturday hinted at approaching a court of law against the process.
Talking to journalists here, MQM leader Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, who is also a member of the national assembly from the city, said that even members of the Sindh cabinet were not clear about the delimitation process, which was currently under way across Sindh.
“We are working on it [delimitation] too carefully and we will be sharing its details with you [the media] soon,” he said in response to a question as to how he saw the delimitation process, which was already opposed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.
He said that if the Sindh government did not come up to its expectations on the delimitation issue, the MQM would move courts.
He made it clear that the MQM was always ready for elections and it would take part in the upcoming LG polls. Even the party could contest the LG elections right now since it continued its internal exercise throughout the year, he added.
“We will just need to finalise names of our candidates and our preparations are always there. So there are no worries for us,” he said.
Dr Siddiqui, who is the deputy convener of the MQM coordination committee, said that despite all apprehensions the MQM had demanded handing over Karachi to the army only for peace.About the ongoing operation in Karachi, he said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave attention to the worsening law and order situation in the metropolis. “He visited Karachi and held meetings. Let us give him some time and keep our hopes in him alive. We were to meet him [the PM] but the federal government had extended a holiday for another day.”
He asked those claiming Karachi a “mini Pakistan” to show their love for the metropolis like they loved the country. “People should love its [Karachi’s] prosperity as it is the city which nurtures the entire country like a mother. Prosperity of Islamabad and its pomp and show is directly linked to Karachi,” he said.
He avoided a direct comment on Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s speech and said that it did not even merit a comment. “I am not sure whether these are his own views. The poor guy was just reading from a text written in Roman language which was given to him by someone in the party. So I don’t want to comment on it.”
The MQM leader said that Pakistan needed a vibrant, transparent and genuine democracy. “Mere transfer of power from a civilian dispensation to another civilian government will not serve the purpose. People feel happy about democracy when its fruits are reaped by the poor and the downtrodden,” he said.
He added that participatory democracy would always deliver and Pakistan’s future lay in true democracy.
Dr Siddiqui said that collection of hides were voluntarily donated by people in Hyderabad, which was itself sufficient enough to show again which party had the mandate in this city.
Party MNA Syed Wasim Hussain, MPAs Rashid Khilji, Dilawar Qureshi, Zubair Ahmed Khan, Rana Siddiqui and Ayesha Aftab were also present.
