MQM workers are ready to join army in war against terror:Altaf Hussain

Lahore: Altaf Hussain has reiterated his offer that hundreds of thousands of MQM workers are ready to fight the war against the terror shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces of Pakistan. He said that the struggle of the MQM was not for an individual or for a few families. “We do not want anything for ourselves. We want to transform Pakistan according to the vision and dreams of the Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal.”

Addressing an election meeting in Lahore, the Founder and Leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain said that the MQM is a progressive and moderate party that believes in inter-faith and sectarian harmony. It is following the policy of live and let live. The MQM is the only political party in the country created a hole in the 65-year old traditional politics and archaic feudal culture by sending honest and educated people from poor and middle-class in assemblies.

“For the past 65 years only a handful of families has been ruling over the country. They have been deceiving innocent people by making false promises. It is because of this unending culture of dynastic rule that the rich are becoming richer, and the poor are becoming poorer with each passing day. The number ruling families have increased, and their scions consider it their birth right to rule over the country.”

“The MQM has been continuously struggling for the past 35 years to get the rights of the deprived and disadvantaged people of the country. It was subjected to the worst form of state repression because of its unceasing struggle for justice. Poisonous propaganda was unleashed against the MQM in order to disillusion the public, particularly the people of Punjab, from coming towards the MQM.”

“The exploitative forces heaped a number of allegations on the MQM but if there were any truth in these allegations, the political parties accusing the MQM for wrongs would not have entered into political alliance with the MQM.”

“The MQM remained a part of various coalition governments, but Altaf Hussain did not accumulate ill-gotten wealth. Altaf Hussain still owns the 120 square yards house which he had earlier.”

“Dr Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal have been mayors of Karachi. If they had been corrupt, they would have built palatial houses in posh areas of Karachi. They did not do it because I have always taught my comrades to work with honesty.”

Altaf Hussain said that the people of Punjab should ask the champion of their rights as to what caused an enormous increase in their wealth, number of sugar mills and properties.

“The MQM wants to establish a corruption-free society in Pakistan. It wants to uproot the feudal system and unrestrained capitalism for empowering the poor and middle-class people of the country. The MQM wants to hold accountability of all those who have looted and plundered the national exchequer for the past 65 years.”

“The MQM wants to establish a just and equitable system in the country where children of the rich and the poor enjoyed same opportunities of education and access to healthcare facilities. If the MQM got a chance to come in power, it would take over all palatial buildings acquired from ill-gotten wealth and convert them into hospitals, colleges, and industrial homes for women.”

“I want to tell the people of Lahore that a time will come when the MQM will hold a big public meeting under the shadows of Minar-i-Pakistan and this public meeting will break all past records. A day will come when women, students, elderly, youth and children will pour out on the streets with the MQM flags against feudal lords and bring a revolution.”

“I was mocked and ridiculed when I had talked about Talibanization, but time has proven that I was right. Taliban terrorists are not only threatening the MQM, the ANP and the PPP but actually making them target of their brazen terrorism.”

“A number of our workers have fallen victim of bomb blasts at the MQM’s election offices during the past few days, but we remain undaunted because we are not cowards. The public meeting in Lahore is proof enough that our determination remains unshaken.”

Mr Hussain said that a former chief minister of Punjab had said that he wanted the same system as was being pursued by the Taliban. Today bomb explosions are taking place in the country, and people are dying but the election campaign is being run in Punjab with full energy.”

“If my concerns about Taliban had been given due consideration, the situation might have been different. Taliban have not only killed innocent people and our workers, they have also slaughtered the personnel of the armed forces.”

“Some leaders are saying that this ongoing war on terror is not our war. Are those who are being killed and beheaded citizens of some other country? Do the soldiers who are being killed belong to some foreign country?”

“The terrorists have not even spared mosques, imam bargahs and shrines of saintly persons but our spirits are high, and we will not cower before them.”

Mr Hussain asked the women of Punjab if they wanted girls’ schools to be bombed. “Do you want women to be confined to homes? Would you support the efforts to throw Pakistan in the stone ages?”

Altaf Hussain warned that the fire raging in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh could easily spread to Punjab if the people of Punjab did not pay heed. He urged on the intellectuals, journalists, lawyers and people belonging to different spheres to life to stop Pakistan from falling in the hands of religious extremists.

Speaking about the problems being faced by the people of Punjab Mr Hussain said, “I am aware of the problems being faced by the people. There is the issue of prolong load-shedding, and a large number of villages do not have access to drinking water. Unemployment is increasing, and corruption is rampant. People making tall claims about serving the people and who were spending millions of rupees on expensive advertisement campaigns, did not hold local government elections.

In the end,Altaf Hussain appealed to the people to vote for the MQM on 11th May and bring the poor and middle-class people in power.