KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Saturday announced that his party has fielded 671 candidates for seats of National and Provincial Assemblies across the country.
He revealed this while addressing a public meeting at Lal Qila Ground, Azizabad in Karachi.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the party has fielded 21 candidates for National Assembly and 45 for the provincial assembly, in Balochistan seven for NA and 21 for PA, in Punjab 132 for NA and 256 for PA, in Sindh (Rural) 41 for NA and 86 for PA and in Karachi 20 for NA and 42 for PA.
The MQM chief said that a total of 221 candidates for NA and 450 for PA seats would contest general elections across the country, while MQM had also fielded 22 women on general seats.
He said that false propaganda for being a local and ethnic party has proved wrong today, adding that MQM is a national party that represents all Pakistanis.
“Every political party should have equal opportunity to run their election campaign. Terrorist elements are trying to keep MQM away from election process,” said Hussain.
He demanded of the interim government and the chief election commissioner to take notice of this situation.
The MQM chief also asked all parties to accept others’ mandate. He also demanded of Taliban to throw weapons and enter national harmony, adding that we could not change others through force.
Altaf Hussain said that all political parties had equal rights to take part in elections. Addressing on the occasion, Deputy Convener of the party’s Rabita (coordination) Committee Dr Farooq Sattar said that election 2013 is a contest between ideological and inherited politicians. He hoped that the MQM would form governments across the country.
Yousaf Shahwani, Gulfraz Khan Khattak and Ashfaq Mangi also addressed the meeting.
Altaf Hussain asks Taliban to lay down arms and become a part of the national stream
MQM should be competed against democratically and all conspiracies against the MQM should end
Address in Lal Qila Ground on the occasion of announcement of names of MQM candidates for national and provincial assemblies
Pictures
The Founder and Leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Mr Altaf Hussain has asked the Taliban leaders to lay down arms and become a part of the national stream. He asked them to bring people around with arguments instead of carrying out bomb attacks. He appealed to the people at the helm of affairs and all political leaders to work for peace as the country was in the throes of national and international threats. He expressed these views while speaking to a large gathering of MQM workers in Lal Qila Ground Azizabad on the occasion of the announcement of the MQM candidates for the general elections of 2013.
Mr Hussain announced that the MQM had fielded 221 candidates from across the country for the National Assembly and 450 candidates for all four provincial assemblies. He declared that the MQM had given tickets to twenty two women on general seats from different parts of the country.
Mr Hussain said that every political party had the right take active part in the elections. “Pakistan belongs to everyone and it is not the serfdom of any political party. We should protect each other and must not fight with each other. I seek forgiveness if I have hurt anyone.”
Mr Hussain also asked the Co-ordination Committee to hold meetings with other parties and assure them of full cooperation from the MQM.
Speaking about the long struggle of the MQM spanning over a period of 35 years, Mr Hussain said that the APMSO was formed on 11th June 1978 which give rise to the MQM on 18th March 1984. The MQM was later transformed into Muttahida Quami Movement for extending its popular appeal to the exploited and disadvantaged people across Pakistan.
“It was for the first time in the history of the country that genuinely elected leadership from poor and middle-class segments of the society reached in the provincial assembly, National Assembly and the Senate.”
“The MQM is not confined to any particular region. It seeks to represents to poor and middle-class people living throughout Pakistan.”
“Thousands of the MQM workers were martyred during its long political journey and many more suffered inhuman tortures. A large number of workers had to undergo the miseries of the exiled life.”
“Even though I have been away from my loving workers for the past 22 years, yet there is an unbreakable bond of love and affection which has never diminished.”
Mr Hussain praised the participation of women in the struggle of the MQM and said that women had always been at the forefront in difficult times.
Mr Hussain said that Balochistan was the most backward province of the country but the MQM would not rest content without getting the rights of the people of Balochistan. “Injustices of the past would be removed.”
Speaking about Sindh Mr Hussain said that the next chief minister of Sindh province would be from the MQM. “Sindh is effectively running Pakistan as it contributes more than 70 percent in the national exchequer in terms of revenues and taxes.”
Referring to the precarious situation in Lyari, Mr Hussain said that only one percent criminal elements were holding the entire population of Lyari to hostage. He hoped that the people of Lyari would make the MQM candidates successful in the coming elections.
Mr Hussain said it was necessary for holding free, fair and transparent elections to allow all parties to take active part in the elections. “Some terrorist elements are conspiring to keep the liberal parties out of election at the barrel of the gun. The MQM, the ANP and the PPP are being targeted of terrorism while other parties are running their campaign freely.”
Mr Hussain appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner, the caretaker government and the Supreme Court to take immediate notice of the discriminatory treatment and injustices. “The MQM is being stopped to run its election campaign freely under a planned conspiracy. The MQM is being deprived of its constitutional, legal, and democratic rights by being pushed to the wall.”
Mr Hussain asked President Asif Zardari, caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazara Khan Khoso, caretaker chief minister of Sindh Zahid Qurban Alvi and heads of law-enforcing agencies as to why the killers of MQM workers were not being arrested. He said that the mandate of the MQM should be accepted with open heart and it should be competed against in a democratic manner. Conspiracies against the MQM must end.
Mr Hussain told the workers that he should not get any report that posters or banners of any party in the MQM dominated areas were torn. “If such complaint is received and the charge is established after an inquiry, the membership of the person involved in it would be suspended.”
In the end, Mr Hussain praised the workers for organizing a successful programme.
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