July 27, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 23, 1429

HYDERABAD, July 26: Deputy Convener of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s coordination committee and its parliamentary leader in National Assembly Dr. Farooq Sattar has expressed fear that attempts are being made to create instability in Karachi by killing PPP and MQM workers.

Speaking to journalists before his address to a general workers’ gathering at Pucca Qilla ground on Friday night he said that recent serial bomb explosions in Karachi were an bid to foment riots and charged that weapons were being distributed on a large-scale in Karachi and the government seemed to have no grip on the situation.

He called for a new social contract to make Pakistan a truly progressive, democratic and welfare state. A new programme would have to be introduced for the purpose covering provincial autonomy, corporate farming, land for landless peasants, abolition of feudal system and land reforms.

He said that the country was faced with serious economic and political crisis and forewarned that coming several months were very important for the country.

“If we didn’t adopt a cautious approach and handle the situation with utmost care then we would be losing the opportunity the Feb 18 polls had thrown for political parties and democracy,” he remarked.

He underscored the need for continuing with present reconciliation process because MQM also wanted to see PPP-PML-N coalition intact as success of everyone was linked to this process.

He said that if the process was defeated neither the opposition nor the rulers would succeed. People were being slapped with price-hike and joblessness and hundreds of new taxes had been imposed and subsidy of Rs1.25 billion had been withdrawn, he said.

“Regional situation, threats from Karzai and attacks in our tribal areas are a challenge for us for which we will have to devise a strategy and set our direction,” he said.

He said that jagirdari system, over centralisation and 60-year-old adhoicsm were at the root of present situation. Pakistan today needed stability but unfortunately after Feb 18 polls “we didn’t pay any heed to it”.

He called for convening an all parties conference and said that there was need to sow the seeds of true democracy in which all provinces had their representation.

He said the people who were afraid of MQM’s growing countrywide popularity wanted to expel MQM from mainstream and were pushing it back towards Mohajir Qaumi Movement.

He said that conspiracies were being hatched to thrust Taliban over Karachi by stoking fire of sectarianism and ethnicity in this port city. “If we didn’t maintain cohesion then circumstances would do away with so many things,” he said.

He said that Talbanisation that had been unable to cause any damage to the country for the last five years despite its activities in tribal areas was now being brought to Karachi to harm the country’s integrity.