Muttahida demands ‘district autonomy’ at Korangi power show
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Sunday demanded a new amendment to the Constitution that would ensure ‘district autonomy’ on the pattern of 18th Amendment which addressed the issue of provincial autonomy.
The demand was made by the senior MQM-P leadership at a public meeting held in Korangi as part of its campaign for the Feb 8, 2024 elections.
A good number of people of Korangi Town gathered at the venue to attend the public meeting. Carrying party flags, the participants, including women and children, were chanting slogans.
Speaking on the occasion, MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said his party was giving the state one more chance to empower the people through a new amendment to the Constitution.
Senior leader Mustafa Kamal said on the occasion that his party did not want ministries, but it wanted to empower the people at the grassroots level.
He said the provincial autonomy had become a failure as it only empowered the chief minister.
He warned that his party would take to streets if the powers that be did not heed to their demand of a new amendment to give the ‘district autonomy’.
Speaking on the occasion, senior leader Dr Farooq Sattar said that a strong Centre and strong provinces could not strengthen the country, but only an empowered and autonomous local government could ensure the solidarity and progress of Pakistan.
He disclosed that the MQM-P was finalising a constitutional package that would be unveiled in a few days. That package would ensure people’s empowerment, he said.
He stressed the need of imparting IT education to youths. He said that increasing incidents of street crime, inflated bills of gas and electricity had made people’s lives miserable. He said that Feb 8 would be the day of “political death” of those who had been occupying Sindh for the past 15 years.
Senior MQM-P leader Nasreen Jalil said that many residents of Korangi were still missing. He demanded that all victims of enforced disappearance be recovered forthwith.
Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2023