KARACHI: A day after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf staged a public meeting in the city, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and the Pak Sarzameen Party organised their separate shows of strength on Monday evening.

While the talking points of the two parties were almost similar — raising voice on census, delimitation of constituencies, providing amnesty to Karachi youths, etc — another common feature of their programmes was criticism of the PTI, which they said was ignoring Karachi’s problems.

The MQM-P held a public meeting on the Liaquatabad flyover in the NA-255 constituency, from where its convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui is contesting elections.

The PSP took out rallies in different parts of the city and its chairman Mustafa Kamal in a whirlwind tour participated in every programme before reaching the railway ground in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, the venue of the party’s public meeting.

Imran, PPP criticised for ‘ignoring’ Karachi

MQM-P event

Carrying tricolour party flags and chanting slogans, a large number of people, including women and children, reached the Liaquatabad flyover to attend the public meeting.

All party candidates contesting elections from Karachi were also present.

Senior leader Kanwar Naveed Jameel said the people of Karachi would tell the world on July 25 that only the MQM was the representative party of the metropolis.

Another senior leader, Faisal Subzwari, criticised his party’s political opponents and alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan had “prejudice against Karachi and the MQM”.

Accusing the Pakistan Peoples Party of “incompetence and corruption”, he said the PPP was making deals with extremists in certain constituencies.

He also vaguely criticised the PSP when he said people of Karachi would not vote for those contesting election on the symbol of a “fish”.

He said the MQM-P could not be stopped despite all odds.

Other MQM leaders, including Dr Farooq Sattar, Amir Khan and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui also spoke.

PSP public meeting

As the event was the culmination point of the PSP’s election campaign, all party candidates were present in the ground.

A large number of PSP supporters, women and children included, also attended the event. They were carrying flags inscribed with dolphin, the election symbol of the PSP, and shouted slogans in favour of their leader Kamal.

Mr Kamal said the people of Karachi would change their “watchman” on July 25. “If you want a real change then vote for dolphin and get rid of thieves and looters,” he said.

He said Karachi was known for its literacy rate, but now it ranked 34th in Pakistan.

PSP leader Arshad Vohra, who still holds the office of Karachi’s deputy mayor and is contesting election from NA-254, was critical of the PTI for undermining the importance of Karachi in terms of its contribution to the collection of taxes.

He criticised the PPP-led former Sindh government for doing nothing on the K-IV water supply project during its tenure despite the fact that the project was approved when Mr Kamal was Karachi mayor.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2018