HYDERABAD: Visibly elated at the impressive power show his party had mustered after a long time in historical Pucca Qilla ground on Friday, a reassured Muttahida Qaumi Movement convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that this public meeting proved once again no one could conquer the city and none could even harbor such a dream.

He issued a warning to the Pakistan Peoples Party and said it would not be forgiven and would be held accountable for its 15-year rule in Sindh. PPP had occupied the city — a reference to PPP’s control over Hyderabad Municipal Corporation after MQM’s boycott of January 2023 local government polls, he said.

He said in an oblique response to PPP chairman’s desire to be next prime minister that it was only MQM that could make someone prime minister from Sindh. “Only we can make someone PM from Sindh. But we have been stung more than once,” he said.

MQM had to collect bodies of its people on Sept 30, 1988, yet it agreed to form coalition government with Benazir Bhutto but then she launched Pucca Qila operation on May 26-27, 1990.

“The walls of Pucca Qilla are witness to this infamous operation and oppression unleashed by PPP government,” he said.

The crowd was enthusiastic as the young, the old, women and children engaged with their leaders and responded to calls by MQM’s deputy convener Anis Kaimkhani, who hails from Hyderabad, to show their strength by waving party flags and switching on their cell phones’ lights to prove their large numbers.

The ground had filled to capacity after a long time since March 2016 when the party bifurcated with the emergence of Pak Sarzameen Party (SPP) and the August 2016 speech by Altaf Hussain after which the party lost one of its traditional provincial constituencies in Latifabad in July 2018 polls.

The jalsa was followed by a splendid display of fireworks.

In his charged address, Mr Siddiqui said that those who were hatching conspiracies against MQM and Hyderabad had died of their own accord. The public meeting was indicative of Feb 8 polls’ results in favour of MQM which was poised to grab all four provincial and two NA seats in Hyderabad district once again, he said.

He said that urban centres of Sindh had produced Rs22,000 billion which had fallen into the lap of Sindh government and enabled PPP to amass ill-gotten money of Rs50,000bn.

“We didn’t (force anyone to) shutter shops and our patience is winning constantly and tomorrow it will win over Mirpurkhas and we will take back control of our cities again,” he said.

MQM deputy convener Anis Kaimkhani said that this jalsa had broken record of Jan 21 public meeting in Karachi. He warned returning officers, presiding officers and PPP to desist from rigging in Feb 8 polls by using ‘money’.

MQM’s candidates Wasim Hussain, Aleem Khanzada, Kamran Qureshi, Rashid Khan, Sabir Kaimkhani and Nasir Qureshi also spoke at the gathering.

Dr Irfan Gul Magsi, who had recently quit PPP to join MQM was also invited to speak.

He said: “We will expel on Feb 8 all the ghus bhaityas who want to conquer Hyderabad. These people have ruined the city, made fortunes and looted property,” he said.

MQM against ethnic riots: Izhar

MQM deputy convener Khawaja Izharul Hasan said at a procession organised by his party on Miyani Road on Friday that they did not have a tribal feud with anyone as Sindhis, Punjabis, Balochi and Pakhtuns had suffered a lot due to ethnic riots in the province. He said that ethnic riots should never happen. They were against it and they talked about peace and love in Sindh, he said.

He recalled that MQM had decided at the beginning that it would not participate in elections but it learnt later that the party could not survive without power.

“We joined all previous governments, except Pervez Musharraf’s era, by making agreements and made the pacts public because we are not hypocrites rather we exposed the bigger hypocrites by doing so,” he said.

He claimed: “…I can proudly say we also play a role in bringing down governments. If you do not listen to us, then MQM is not bound to help you become prime minister, MQM can get you down within a minute.”

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2024