Daily Times

Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took broadsides at his political opponents at a public gathering at Bagh-e-Jinnah on Saturday. Criticising the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-Pakistan) for what he said were attempts to bring back ‘politics of ethnicity’ to the coastal city, he said that MQM had been deceiving Karachi residents for three decades.

Referring to Monday night clashes between workers of his party and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Bilawal said, “PTI tried to create a law and order situation in Karachi, but we foiled the attempt by letting it hold a rally at Hakim Saeed Ground,” he said.

Bilawal said the PTI was the new MQM, adding that the people of Karachi won’t tolerate another Altaf Hussain in the form of [PTI chairman] Imran Khan.

“PTI workers attacked our workers and injured over 20 men. In spite of such actions, I directed my party to not proceed with the plan to hold the rally at Hakim Saeed ground. We took the decision in the interest of the peace of Karachi,” he said.

The PPP chairman paid tribute to party workers martyred during the violence on May 12, 2007. He said MQM and ‘its patron-dictator General (retd) Musharraf were responsible for the carnage that day’.

Recalling that both factions of the MQM-Pakistan got united soon after the PPP’s Liaquatabad rally, Bilawal said, “Had I known that our rally would unite the MQM-P, I would have held it earlier,” adding in a sarcastic tone, “MQM-P still failed to bring out enough people for its gathering at Tanki Ground. I cannot be blamed for that.”

The PPP chairman said he was fully aware of Karachi’s issues and his party was doing its best to solve them.

“After returning to power in the next election, we will revive Karachi’s industry, and will create job opportunities for the people of the city,” Bilawal assured the gathering.

He said the PPP would also set up a desalination plant to improve supply of potable water in the city. “I want to build a university in every district of Karachi.”

Bilawal said that the PPP had served the metropolis to the best of its abilities, but the MQM continuously disrupted developmental works initiated by the provincial government.

“MQM refuses to work on its own and doesn’t let others worth either,” he said, adding that MQM leader Farooq Sattar had also accepted that there was corruption in KMC.

“MQM didn’t do anything to address Karachi’s water and sewerage problems despite enjoying absolute power during Musharraf’s rule. When we contracted out the collection of solid waste to a Chinese company, MQM started creating problems in its operations just because it wanted to hamper our good efforts.”

“They say, we are from interior Sindh and want to rule Karachi. I want to tell them I was born in Karachi, my family lived in Karachi,” he said, adding that a quota system was first introduced in the time of the slain Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan in 1948.

He said that MQM had misguided the people of Karachi by associating the quota system with the PPP.

“Many projects could not be completed in Karachi because the federal government failed to release funds in time.

“The PML-N government thinks it rules Islamabad only.”

Addressing PTI chairman Imran Khan, Bilawal asked how could he make Pakistan better when he could not set up any new hospital or university in the province his party ruled for five years.

“Imran Khan has made two Khyber Pakhtunkhwas in the name of naya Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Bilawal said.

PPP leaders Sherry Rehman, Taj Haider, Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah were also present on the occasion.

Published in Daily Times, May 13^th 2018.