Daily Times

KARACHI: Muhajir Qaumi Movement Chairman Afaq Ahmed said the media has become eye of the masses and is responsible for providing information.

Sindh Rangers and police have rendered sacrifices for restoration of law and order in the city, but their sacrifices were being wasted.

The Muhajir are being asked for their identification but this should not be ignored that they are the sons of the soil and siblings of creators of Pakistan. “We are being repeatedly asked for our loyalty,” Afaq added.

Our public gathering held the other day was aimed to defuse the impression of division of Muhajir. But now were had been stopped for holding any such gatherings.

“If Sirajul Haq, Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Aitzaz Ahsan can be permitted to hold public rallies then why are we not allowed to do so? This is unfair.”

“We are being told that ISI and other security agencies are not giving us the permission to hold any public gathering. My media coordinator Khalid Hameed has been told this by the SP in his office. ISI and MI have restricted us to hold any public gatherings due to security risks. “In case if we do so, arrests will be conducted.”

“The rangers and the agencies are there to restore law and order but we have been stopped from gathering. We are being stopped carrying out political activities by the Sindh government. If they want to do so they should state it openly but don’t try to stab us in the back.”

The Muhajir are peaceful people and stopping them from performing political activities would be tantamount to support and justify the saying of Altaf Hussain.

Afaq said, “100,000 people have been given jobs in Sindh but our people having seven percent quota have been ignored for their legitimate rights of jobs.”

“In the Linguistic Accord, word Muhajir was inserted and we did not even protest over the appointment of a Punjabi governor in Sindh.”

He maintained, ‘Our identification is Raees Amrohi, not Altaf Hussain. Our identification is Maulana Noorani, Hakeem Saeed and Dr Qadeer Khan.”

Afaq reiterated he would fight to unite the Muhajir. He appealed to his followers not to elect those in 2018 polls who have negated the word Muhajir. “Conspiracies have started against us. Rules are not run by force. There is a need to end deprivation of Mohairs.”

Pak Sarzameen Party can be permitted to hold gatherings and they block Shahrah-e-Faisal but we are not being permitted to hold peaceful party meetings.”

“Larkana can be given Rs 95 billion but Karachi and the KMC has been deprived of funds and Karachi has become a city of garbage.”

The incident of Ahmedpur East was a tragedy, the army chief and prime minister also expressed their sympathies and the heirs of the deceased were compensated.

Published in Daily Times, July 23^rd , 2017.