News
Monday, June 27, 2011
Altaf demands fresh polls in AJK
By Masroor Afzal Pasha
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has declared the elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as null and void and demanded that fresh elections should be held as the present elections had become doubtful because of the autocratic steps of the government.
He vehemently criticised the government's undemocratic, unconstitutional and unethical steps taken by those who claims themselves to be the champion of democracy and had even shamed the dictatorial steps of dictators in the past.
He was addressing a hurriedly called general workers conventions across the country on Sunday in the backdrop of the postponement of elections on seats reserved for Kashmir migrants in Karachi and Abbottabad. The address of Altaf Hussain was relayed at more than 50 locations worldwide.
Despite all the protestations of democracy their actions were simply a continuance of the past dictators, he said, adding, they claimed that they had learnt from their past mistakes but it was apparent that they had learnt nothing from the past.
He asked the MQM Coordination Committee to file petitions in the courts for getting the elections null and void.
Hussain said June 26 should be observed as a day of condemnation every year to mark the dictatorial actions of the present government. They had trampled democratic principles, ethics and norms in order to force the MQM, the third largest political party of the country, out of the elections, he added.
Despite the fact that the MQM had supported the present government in difficult times, he said, it had stabbed the MQM in the back. He recalled that the MQM nominated President Asif Ali Zardari for the office of the president at a time when no one from his own party was ready to suggest his name. The MQM gave unconditional support to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani as well, he added.
MQM always came to their rescue and helped when it was being said that the government could go any time, he said, adding, despite everything done by the MQM, the present government betrayed its coalition party shamefacedly.
He pointed out that an important minister from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) told that if they were not given one seat then they would get the elections postponed. Meetings were held at every level in the party and it was decided that enough was enough, he said.
The MQM chief questioned that why should they be given the seat like this? What had they done? Had they arrested the killers of Benazir Bhutto that they were demanding seats like this?
He said his party had made full preparations for the elections of legislative assembly of AJK. It had opened party offices in Kashmir and fielded candidates from nearly all the constituencies according to the demands of the Kashmiri people, he informed.
In the precious elections, MQM had been gained victory on two seats and it was expected that the we would definitely gain some additional seats as well, he added, MQM was forced to boycott the elections because of the autocratic steps of the government.
He said the present government was hiding its autocratic face under the cloak of democracy. This cloak should be stripped so that the common people could see their real face.
He said such in 1993 the then Corps Commander of Karachi Lt-Gen Naseer Akhter had also tried to browbeat the MQM into accepting four seats only but the MQM had refused to bow down and boycotted the elections.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk