KARACHI, Dec 12: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has claimed that its candidates on national and provincial assembly seats will win the January 8 general election from all over the country, saying it has full support of the masses.

Party candidates said this while speaking at various corner meetings and opening of their election offices in the city as part of their election campaign.

The MQM nominees on various national and provincial assembly seats visited various localities as part of their mass-contact drive and explained to the audiences the philosophy of the party chief, Altaf Hussain.

MQM candidate for NA-247 Dr Nadim Ahsan and provincial assembly candidates Shoaib Bukhari and Anwar Alam held corner meetings in Liaquatabad.

Candidate from NA-251 Waseem Akhtar and provincial assembly candidate Rauf Siddiqui visited some places in Manzoor Colony and Mahmoodabad.

In the Defence and Clifton areas, MQM candidates Khushbakht Shujaat and Askari Taqvi held corner meetings.

MQM candidates from Orangi Town Dr Abdul Qadir Khanzada, advocate Iqbal Qadri and others also spoke at several public meetings in their respective constituencies.

They said that people would reject all those parties which were first boycotting the general election but then announced that they would contest the elections just to deceive the people.

The MQM candidates were of the view that people from across the country would exercise the right of their vote in favour of them to prove that the MQM was the only party struggling for the rights of the 98 per cent poor and oppressed people of the country.

Manifesto

The MQM will announce its manifesto for the 2008 elections on Thursday.

According to a press release, the coordination committee has finalised the manifesto.

Party sources told Dawn that the manifesto titled ‘Empowerment for all’ focused on major issues, including provincial autonomy and the eradication of class-based system. Dr Farooq Sattar and other members of the coordination committee will unfold the manifesto at a press conference.