KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain said on Friday that the victory of MQM candidates in Thursday’s by-elections in Karachi and Mirpurkhas had exposed “baseless propaganda against him and his party”.

Speaking from London by phone to party workers and supporters at the Lal Qila ground, Mr Hussain said that by-elections had been held in the presence of the army, but the MQM bagged a large number of votes.

He said that after the May 11 general elections the MQM had been accused of being a terrorist organisation and propaganda was launched that it had a fake mandate.

He said certain parties had demanded that by-elections be conducted under the supervision of the army.

“You can hold next general elections also in the presence of the army.”

Without mentioning Imran Khan, the MQM leader said the man talking about justice and his party had been swept away in the tsunami of Aug 22 by-polls.

In an obvious reference to Imran Khan, Mr Hussain sarcastically said the man did not learn any lesson despite falling off a lifter and instead levelled allegations of murder against him from his hospital bed.

He said the Chief Justice of Pakistan should take suo motu notice of the killing of Zahrah Shahid Hussain, the PTI woman leader, who was shot dead outside her Karachi residence in May.

Mr Hussain also criticised the PPP for imposing the local government system of Gen Ziaul Haq’s era.