“You have been voting for MQM for decades, yet it failed to resolve
your problems”, this is the most common question-based criticism that MQM`s rivals have
been making on it. Further, most of their speeches, press conferences, banners
and posters contained nothing, but the provoking accusations against the most
popular party of the city. This is how, instead of propagating their party
manifestos, PTI, JI, PPP and PML-N directly or indirectly tried to hit MQM
below the belt. However, this is not new
at all. Karachi-ites have been witnessing the same since they started voting
for MQM. This highlights the fact that MQM`s rivals are fully aware that their
big claims or manifestos will remain worthless unless and until they weaken the
strongest and decades-prevailing relation between MQM and its people.
As per the principle of management, authority
creates responsibility. If no authority, no responsibility can fixed on any
one. It is an open secret that the Karachi`s issues (from the water, sewerage, electricity,
law & order to the quota system) can be resolved not through political
slogans and the subsequent victories in elections, but by the relevant
authorities and powers that federal or/and provincial governments have. And we
know that MQM could, not a single time, come into the position to form its own
government either in federation or in Sindh. Even in the cases when it was the
biggest party in the coalition in Sindh, it was not allowed to bring forward
its own chief minister merely due to the racism for Urdu speaking community. Then,
can any responsibility be fixed on MQM resulting from the authority it did not
have at all?
On the other hand, we see that rest of the political
and religious parties (whether in the government or on the opposition benches) keep
claiming to be sincere to Karachi. If it is assumed to be true, then there
should have been no obstacles in the way of making Karachi a problem-free city.
However, we could not see such a thing at all. We know that the problems of
mini-Pakistan were not posed by the British Empire nor do their solutions need
the approval of the United Nations. Rather, they can be resolved simply through
executive orders, resolutions in assemblies as well as the decisions made by
the federal and provincial cabinets in the same way as they were created. But not
speaking of expressing their sincere love to the Karachi-ites by serving them, PPP
and PML-N (which ruled over Sindh and Pakistan more than once) did not pay any
heed to the agreements with MQM on the basis of which it helped them to form
their governments.
Just like the ruling parties, smaller parties (like
PTI, JI, ANP and JUI-F) too completely sealed their lips over the Karachi`s
problems. They did not raise voice and stage protest rallies for highlighting
the issues of the city like the way they did against MQM. In addition, whether
it was the matter of “angry” Balochis or the “disgruntled” Pakistan Muslim
brothers (Taliban), they very actively convinced the political and the military
establishments to have talks with them instead of using force (launching
operations) against them. That was totally opposite to their stand about
operations in Karachi. Similarly, Swat pact is the evidence of how all the
parties sat together and handed over a Pakistani territory (Sawat valley) to a banned
outfit in the name of “meeting demands of the people” there. How strange it
appears when we compare this with their firm stand that they would strongly
oppose any demand of a separate province for Karachi-ites!
Similarly, the military establishment, the most
powerful force of the country, also proudly claims to have given sacrifices of
its personnel for the security of people here. If true, why did the people of
Karachi have to keep facing mass killings despite the presence of police,
Rangers, army and so many other law-enforcement agencies? Further, did we ever
witness any special package being offered of job opportunity in the armed
forced by the Army chief after any operation in Karachi like the one they did
for people of Balochistan, KPK, FATA? Let alone such a package for the youth of
Karachi, retired army-men (non-locals) have just been hired for Karachi police
department.
It is also blamed that MQM created ethnic divide in
the city and wants to continue it. Although it is against the reality, let`s
assume it to be true. Question is what did the rest of the parties and the
establishment do for bridging the prevailing divide? The record shows that
almost all the parties stood with the people and groups who were responsible
for this whenever they needed their support. From PPI`s Ghulam Sarwar Awan to
the ANP`s Shahi Syed and from the STPP`s Qadir Magsi to Zulfiqar Mirza and
Uzair Baloch, all were supported by the parties which claim to own Karachi. In
this respect, the crucial role was played also by the military establishment
with the aim to crush MQM. The resolutions passed by the provincial assemblies
of interior Sindh, KP, Balochistan, Punjab and even Kashmir, were not aimed to
develop ethnic harmony in the (so-called) mini-Pakistan, but definitely to
deepen the divide by criminalizing a specific party and ethnic community.
The reality of the so-called national and religious
parties also gets exposed when we keep in view the fact that the elected mayor
of the biggest of Pakistan would not be having the authorities necessary to resolve
even the daily issues. This is only MQM which is, though contesting elections,
yet making it very clear to pubic that the upcoming local body would be totally
dependent on the Sindh government on even petty issues. This easily makes it
clearer who is misleading the voters and who is showing them the real picture.
Taking into account all these bitter facts, does it
suit all of these to make attractive claims like resolving the Karachi`s
issues, restoring peace, removing ethnic divide etc for the 5 December`s
elections? Logically no! Then, why should the voters trust the wrong number?
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