HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) organised a demonstration at Hyder Chowk on Monday night against torching of its flag by some Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers and supporters a day earlier. The PTI workers were reacting to the ouster of their party chief, Imran Khan, as prime minister through a no-trust motion and MQM-P’s act of supporting the motion.

During the night-long protest, MQM-P leaders spoke to the participants. They condemned burning of their party’s flag and alleged use of abusive language against armed forces by some PTI workers.

Led by Muttahida’s Hyderabad district chapter organiser Zafar Siddiqui, the demonstration was attended by MPAs Nadeem Siddiqui and Nasir Hussain Qureshi, besides a large number of its activists and supporters.

In their speeches, the leaders accused the former PM and his associates of having destroyed the national economy. As a result, they observed, the masses were groaning under price hike.

They alleged that the PTI chief and its every worker trampled over the Constitution and hurt opponents’ sentiments.

“The Pakistan army, judiciary and MQM-P are our pride and those who use abusive language against them would have to be ready to face the consequences,” they said.

They said that those who were dubbing the army, judiciary and MQM-P as traitors were not political activists but pawns of some international and anti-Pakistan forces.

Political activists always respected each other but Imran Khan promoted a culture of hate and abuses which was condemnable, they said, and accused the former PM of having created a Constitutional crisis.

The activists carried banners inscribed with slogans condemning use of abusive language against judiciary and armed forces by PTI workers. One banner was inscribed with demand for arrest of those who had burnt MQM-P flag. An effigy of Imran Khan was also torched during the demonstration.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2022