KARACHI, Sept 29: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief, Altaf Hussain, has urged the office-bearers of the MQM’s elders and women’s wings to visit from door to door to seek votes for the party.

Speaking to a gathering of the elders and women’s wings in Khursheed Memorial Hall by telephone from London, Altaf Hussain praised the elders of the party, who went to the ‘no go areas’ in the 1997 elections to serve as polling agents for which, he said, they had to suffer a lot but they did not lose hope and courage.

The meeting was attended by a number of elders, women, and Baloch women workers. Deputy conveners of MQM coordination committee Shaikh Liaquat Hussain, Shoaib Bukhari, and others were also present.

The MQM chief said he hoped that the spirit of the past elections would be upheld and the elders would remain steadfast and serve as polling agents. He said the tradition of the past should be maintained in view of a tough fight in the general election.

Addressing the women belonging to Lyari, he said they not only contact the people in Lyari but also persuade their relations and acquaintances elsewhere in the city to cast their votes in favour of the MQM.

He assured the “Jiyalas” of Lyari that the MQM would take every possible step to solve the problems of Lyari whether it was voted to power or not.

Meanwhile, the MQM coordination committee condemned the police harassment in Sadiqabad. It alleged that the police had threatened MQM candidate Rao Mohammad Kaleem Khan to close his election office or face dire consequences. It was harassment on the part of the police as his opponent, a Nazim of union council, was using vicious tactics and harassing Rao Kaleem with the help of police.

The coordination committee demanded that the president take notice of the situation and take stern action against those who wanted to sabotage the peaceful environment for the elections.

The committee condemned the firing incident in which Ramzan, brother of Rizwan, a member of the MQM in Lyari, was killed and Kamran wounded. They also condemned the firing at women and youths returning home after attending a Nishtar Park public meeting.