Yes, Only MQM Can Do This!

As the local body`s elections are getting closer in Karachi, all the political and religious parties as well as the small groups are giving a final tough to their campaigns.  Media-men are expressing their opinions over which party would come into the position to bring up its mayor. From PPP to PML-N and from PTI to JI (in addition to MQM), all are claiming to be the best deserving of Karachi-ites` mandate on December 5, 2015.  

There is a generally accepted and followed principle which says, “Authority creates responsibility”. It means if a person has some authorities, all the resulted responsibilities will also lie on him. In other words, a person cannot be held responsible for anything unwanted unless and until he had the relevant authorities & power. Taking into account this rule, MQM cannot be held responsible neither for the improper condition of the law & order in the city nor for the major issues of the people as it was never let to form its own provincial or federal government to take the needed steps accordingly.

It is an open secret that since MQM stepped into the Pakistani politics, Pervez Musharaf`s ear was the only period during which MQM did not face the sort of victimization like in 90`s from the establishment. So having been relatively relaxed, MQM leadership used its elected members of parliament, ministers and councilors to serve the people in the best possible way. Following the guidance and the full support of their leader Altaf Hussain, Mustafa Kamal & Kanwar Naveed Jamil, as city nazims (Mayors), turned their cities into the most rapidly developing cities of the country. The unmatchable development as well as economic growth that these cities made by MQM`s hands was never witnessed in the entire history of the country.

Similarly, it was the same period during which, for the first time, Sindh`s provincial interior ministry came under MQM. Here too, MQM performed tremendously in the process of maintaining peace in the province, especially in Karachi. Everybody knows that Karachi has remained under direct and indirect operations from 1992 to 2015 (to-date) with the exception of the period from 2002 to 2007 when interior ministry was under MQM. When the two periods are compared, the records indicate that Karachi remained very peaceful during MQM`s rule than those of operation periods unlike the perception created and propagated about this. Not only in other areas of the city, even Liyari remained very peaceful.

It is also fact that whenever the causes of long-prevailing improper law & order were discussed, analysts always held liable political rivalry, ethnic tension, sectarian clashes and the poor governance as the reasons behind. However, despite all these bitter facts, MQM succeeded in maintain peace and bringing people close to each other. Factually speaking, from 2002 to 2007 was the only period where Karachi-ites, despite belonging to different political parties, ethnicity, sects and religions, were living peacefully. This proved that if the “evil forces” and their patronized “racist elements” do not try to fuel, people of Karachi can get along well. 

In this connection, we cannot ignore the crucial role played by the elected representatives of MQM, from a councilor to the city mayor and ministers, who contributed their best in order to bring smile to the people through maintain peace as well as accomplishing the development projects in Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah and Sakkur. On top of all, the way MQM leadership worked day night for the sake of rescuing the hostages of Somali pirates (who were primarily the responsibility of the federal government), was truly plausible. The tear of happiness in the eyes of people can never be forgotten for years. Question is, did any of the political parties ever serve their people by going out of the box? 

The wise say, if you want to be aware of the reality of a person, judge him when he has wealth and power. Consequently, 2002 to 2007 was the period when MQM was given its, to some extent, due share in the government, do the prevailing peace, political and ethnic harmony as well as the economical development not bring to light true face of MQM unlike the maliciously created and propagated perception against it?  

So considering all these, it was the need of the hour not to let anyone disturb the golden era of peace and prosperity in Urban Sindh especially in Karachi. But very unfortunately, instead of supporting it, the entire system was rolled back. All MQM`s rival both democratic and Islamic parties including JI, PTI and ANP cheerfully welcome that step. Not only this, they also very actively opposed the newly approved Sindh People`s Local Government system and ran a violent campaign along with Sindhi nationalists against it. As a result, PPP government found a way to roll back that system too and, thus, delayed the local bodies` election further. Now who should be held responsible for the basic municipal issues being faced by the Karachi-ites due to the absence of city government system? MQM or all its rivals?

It is also on record that when the matter of new province from Urban Sindh came up, these were the same parties which, on one handed supported new provinces for the people of South Punjab, Hazara and FATA, altogether rejected such a proposal for Karachi-ites. Honestly, there can be differences of opinion over how to resolve certain issues, but did any of the anti-Karachi- province JI, PTI or PPP ever come up with a new solution in order to remove discrimination and ensure equal share of Urdu speaking people in the state affairs like other ethnic communities? Of course not!

In fact, it is not merely a political ignorance that the traditionally anti-MQM parties have failed to formulate a plan to end the ethnically and politically based discrimination against Muhajirs and the resulted long-pending issues. Rather, they deliberately ignored them. Even whenever MQM leadership raised these sensitive issues on any forum, there came up the same parties not to endorse, but to oppose the same saying there was no discrimination going on in urban Sindh.

In the 90`s, when different parts of Karachi had been made No-Go areas by Haqiqi group and Karachi had been turned into a city of graves of Muhajir, except MQM, all the other parties were terming it a free and peaceful Karachi. Today too, just like in the past, similar state of in security and fear due to the on-going targeted operation are being portrayed as a period of peace and freedom. On the contrary, when some people just talked about launching an operation in KPK and FATA against Taliban terrorists, Munawwar Hassan, Fazal-ur-Rehman, Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif strongly opposed it saying, “We will not allow Pakistani army to kill our own Pakistani Muslim brothers”. Their double standard obviously exposes that these leaders do not consider the people of Urban Sindh (Muhajirs) their “own Pakistani Muslim brothers” and, perhaps, that was why they always demanded to launch operations in Karachi unlike in TTP-occupied areas in KPK and tribal areas.

Moreover, whenever any racists openly disgraced Muhajirs by using ill-names (like Kharab khoon, Bhookey Nangey, Zinda Lashen, Kaley Kalotey) and even termed the word “Muhajir” as an abuse (Gali), no one protested over it. Jamat-e-Islami, putting all Islamic teachings a side, also contributed its share in the Muhajir-criminalization process using the words like killers, extortionists, kidnapers etc. But, it was the same JI leadership which openly used the title martyrs (Shaheed) for Taliban. Question is, can so hypocrite and biased leaders and their parties ever be loyal to Karachi-ites and their city? Logically no!  

Apparently, there is no rationale which can convince Karachi-ites including the residents to go with JI, PTI, PML-N or PPP. Most of them came into the position to resolve the problems which Karachi-itse had been facing for decades, they did not do that. Rather, they played their prejudiced role to create and add to them. Honestly speaking, should these people even expect the victims of their bias (Urdu speaking people) to vote for them? Not at all! Thus, MQM is the only best choice remaining which can sincerely serve the people.