KARACHI, May 23: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad held a string of meetings on Wednesday with political leaders with a view to clearing the air and sought to give the impression that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was keen to please all ethnic communities living in the city.
He first visited the Mardan House to condole with Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan the death ANP workers in the May 12 violence in Karachi. The meeting between the two leaders lasted 20 minutes.
Talking to newsmen after the meeting, the governor described the situation arising out of the May 12 events as ‘terrible’. Referring to the valuable contributions of the late Khan Abdul Wali Khan and MQM chief Altaf Hussain towards establishing an abiding peace in the city, he stressed that their efforts should not go waste in anyway.
Mr Khan welcomed the governor to the Mardan House and said that under Pakhtuns’ traditions, when a guest visited somebody for the purpose of condolence, no other matter was discussed in that particular visit.
He, however, stated that Bacha Khan, Wali Khan and other leaders of his party always followed the philosophy of non-violence and believed that political issues must be tackled politically.
About the three-day wheel jam strike, he said it was given by the Pakhtun Action Committee and it was up to that committee to retain or reconsider the programme.
NINE ZERO: The governor then went to the MQM headquarters, Nine Zero, to condole the death of MQM workers killed in the May 12 violence.
Talking to newsmen, Deputy MQM Convener Dr Farooq Sattar said that his party was not against President Gen Pervez Musharraf.
“We will continue supporting his moderate and liberal policies and the measures to root out extremism even if we decided to sit on opposition benches.”
With regard to the three options for quitting the government, Dr Sattar said his party would consult all its members within a week to reach a final decision.
The MQM coordination committee, after three-day-long deliberations in London, decided to present the three options before party members. The options are: giving up federal government positions; giving up both federal and provincial government positions; and parting ways with the government at all levels and sitting on opposition benches.
Dr Sattar, however, maintained that other suggestions from party members would be considered as the fourth option. He said the MQM wanted to unravel the conspiracy behind the May 12 events.
He clarified that MQM’s elected representatives in the local government would continue to serve people without any discrimination while the party would promote its message of unity and brotherhood among all sections of society through a mass contact drive.
He vowed to resist any attempt to block the way of progress and development in Karachi.
The Sindh governor earlier held a meeting with the committee members and offered his condolence over the death of MQM workers killed in the May 12 violence. He made it clear that offering condolence was the sole purpose of his visit and it should not be taken as a political meeting.
Dr Ibad noted that Karachi had multi-ethnic population and it was necessary to avoid a clash between any two of these ethnic communities. He reminded Pakhtun and Urdu-speaking people that Bacha Khan and Altaf Hussain always advocated the policy of non-violence.
He urged the general public and all stakeholders of Karachi to play their due role in maintaining peace and harmony in the city and foil all attempts to provoke ethnic riots.
Chief Secretary Shakil Durrani expressed condolence with the members of the MQM’s Pakhtun Punjabi Organising Committee in Pashto.
Shaikh Liaquat Hussain, Anwar Alam, Abdul Haseeb and MQM leaders were present on the occasion.
The governor also visited MMA leader and Naib Amir of the Jamaat-i-Islami Prof Ghafoor Ahmad at his residence and stayed there for over half an hour.
The governor said that he and Prof Ghafoor agreed to continue their joint efforts for peace in the province. He said the MMA leader had given him some suggestions, adding that the same would be given due consideration.
Later, through a press release, Prof Ghafoor stated that he had plainly told the governor that the MQM and Gen Pervez Musharraf were directly responsible for the May 12 tragedy.
He deplored that on that day, workers belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami, IJT and other opposition parties were gunned down in Karachi by terrorists using sophisticated weapons while personnel of the law-enforcement agencies were nowhere in the city.
“The MQM is pursuing the path of terrorism turning the urban areas of Sindh into their strongholds, where life, property and honour of citizen are no more secure,” he alleged.
Later, through a press release, Prof Ghafoor stated that he had plainly told the governor that the MQM and Gen Pervez Musharraf were directly responsible for the May 12 tragedy.
He deplored that on that day, workers belonging to Jamaat-i-Islami, IJT and other opposition parties were gunned down in Karachi by terrorist using sophisticated weapons while personnel of the law-enforcement agencies were visible nowhere in the city.
“The MQM is pursuing the path of terrorism turning the urban areas of Sindh into their strongholds, where life, property and honour of citizen are no more secure,” he alleged.
KARACHI, May 23: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad held a string of meetings on Wednesday with political leaders with a view to clearing the air and sought to give the impression that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was keen to please all ethnic communities living in the city.
