KARACHI, March 20: Former City Nazim Niamatullah Khan on Monday alleged that the recent wave of killings in Karachi, including an attempt on the life of former nazim of Landhi Town Mohammad Shahid, was a part of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s election campaign.

“Release of the killers belonging to the MQM and withdrawal of the cases registered against them was aimed at using them to kill the party’s political opponents which is part of the MQM’s campaign for next general election,” he told a news conference at the Karachi Press Club.

Former nazims of different towns, including Dr Pervez Mahmood, Farooq Niamatullah, Ahmed Qasim Parekh and Naveedul Islam, besides JI Secretary Information Sarfraz Ahmed, were present at the press conference.

He said that during his four-year tenure, there had been a visible improvement in the law and order which had paved the way for foreign investment in Karachi. An atmosphere of fear gripped the city since the induction of the Muttahida-led city government, he added.

Mr Khan accused the Muttahida of trying to make Landhi-Korangi its election constituency and having started killing JI leaders and workers after removal of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement from there.

“The attempt on the life of Mohammad Shahid and the killing of Luqman Beg, Jamal Tahir, Aslam Mujahid and many other prominent people in the area are some of the examples,” he said.

He claimed that the Muttahida had isolated Urdu-speaking population of the city from others, arranged bloody clashes between the Urdu-speaking people and others in Sindh. He recalled that its self-exiled leader, during his visit to India had declared creation of Pakistan a mistake committed by Indian Muslims.

“Now after realizing in the recent local bodies polls that it had lost popularity, it has started terrorizing people of Karachi through target killings, dacoities and extortion,” he said, warning that by giving control of Karachi to the MQM, the federal government was playing a dangerous game.

“I had told the federal government that if Muttahida was given freehand in Sindh, especially Karachi, it will unleash a reign of terror and put the country’s security at risk”, he said.

The former Karachi nazim argued that if Muttahida was allowed to do whatever it liked, the other opposition political parties should also be given a level-playing field to run their election campaigns to ensure a free, fair and transparent election.

In reply to a question, he said that thousands of people had been killed in Karachi but hardly any killer was arrested. “However, if a Muttahida worker or leader is assassinated, the whole government machinery becomes active which is highly deplorable.”—PPI