KARACHI, Nov 27: The Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) has announced that it will boycott general elections in a protest against the emergency rule imposed by President General Pervez Musharraf in his capacity as the chief of the army staff.

“The elections have no other purpose but to get handpicked people together in parliament,” MQM-H Chairman Afaq Ahmed told his lawyers. “The people are well aware of the dirty politics, which has dealt a serious blow to the Mohajir ideology during the last five years,” he remarked.

He said the elections would have no validity under the Provisional Constitution Order issued by President Musharraf in the garb of emergency. At the time when judiciary was overpowered, holding of free and fair elections was out of the question, he added.

He said: “We have delivered our concerns to the Election Commission of Pakistan. But unfortunately institutions are not working in true spirit, as the commission did not pay any heed to such matter of sensitive nature.”

The MOM chief also asked the political forces to boycott the elections and urged the opposition parties to get united for the struggle against the current set-up and for the return to true democracy.