HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) deputy convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has said that a plan has been made to divide the mandate of the party in Karachi and Hyderabad ahead of the 2018 general elections.

“The people of Karachi registered their answer to the conspiracy on Dec 30, 2016 while the people of Hyderabad have to answer it this year,” said Mr Siddiqui while speaking to reporters and addressing a meeting of MQM-P’s local council representatives at Mehran Arts Council on Saturday night.

He said the powers that be and political dynasties of the country had decided to split vote bank of Mohajirs. “They want to get the same election results in Karachi and Hyderabad, which used to come up before the creation of the MQM,” he said.

He said that Aug 22 events had created the conditions which persuaded the rulers and MQM’s enemies that the time they were yearning for had arrived. “Our unwise friends thought they had recouped everything and the people in Khayban-i-Sahar, which always wears a deserted look, took it as a blessing for them,” he said.

But the Aug 23 ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans had shattered their dreams, he said, adding: “Opponents of the MQM and Mohajirs were taking everything lightly.”

It would have been understandable if the enemies took that ‘mistake’ lightly. These elements misjudged the wisdom, resolve and conviction of Mohajirs without realising that rulers were ruling the country created by that same community.

He said that history was a witness to the fact that the worst slave always proved to be the worst master. “The MQM is in fact reaffirming itself and those who feel that the MQM is on the verge of collapse are not able to see that the Muttahida has actually blossomed,” he said.

Mr Siddiqui said the local government (LG) system introduced in the country was devoid of authority for the elected representatives. This system had given nothing to people and everyone had witnessed that MQM’s mandate had remained intact, he said, adding that prudence and sentiments of Mohajirs went hand in hand on Aug 23, though some historians of Mohajirs had written that their sentiments usually overshadowed their wisdom.

He observed: “Our wisdom and emotions can make a perfect combination to extricate ourselves from difficult situations”.

He said the MQM was to turn people’s power into its strength and it did not have to challenge their power. House count showed that around 55 per cent were urban areas and if the UN supervised the proposed census, this figure would safely rise to around 65 per cent, he said.

Mr Siddiqui said that 40 years ago Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur were granted 40 per cent quota. “People from cities didn’t settle in rural areas, but it is vice versa,” he said.

Not only people from Sindh, but from entire Pakistan had settled in Karachi, he said and added that those who abused the people of Karachi and Hyderabad and those who showed short-sightedness wished to settle in Karachi.

He said: “Today census has become top priority and afterwards we will teach how to judge men. Some treat Karachi as the largest city of Pakhtuns and if it is correct then Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s population should show a downward trend but it is not the case. Karachi’s population is increasing,” he said.

He said: “Karachi has the capacity to accommodate the entire Pakistan but others should also hug us [Mohajirs]”. People had the right to show their estrangement with the MQM but the party was duty bound to get along with them, he said.

He said the party’s public meeting in Hyderabad on Jan 27 would make the MQM successful. It was not necessary for the MQM it is necessary to clear doubts of others. Some people in 1991 arrived on tanks and returned to the MQM’s fold eventually and likewise those who roamed about in Vigos would also return as Mohajirs did not let anyone run away, he said.

He said the LG system was in direct conflict with the constitution as it did not even grant the powers that were given in Gen Zia’s LG system. The MQM would continue its legal and political battle against the LG system, he said, adding that only time would tell if terrorism had been completely eliminated from Karachi in the wake of Zarb-i-Azb operation.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2017