KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) reacted strongly on Friday to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s remarks that referred to ‘culture of strike and protest’ in Karachi and the party’s chief Altaf Hussain sought an apology from him for allegedly making degrading comments about people of the city.

Addressing a press conference at the MQM headquarters here by telephone from London, the MQM chief said the prime minister’s remarks had hurt sentiments of millions of people of the city who always raised voice against injustice.

Also read: Culture of strikes in Karachi should be discouraged, says PM Nawaz

“I am not against Nawaz Sharif but he should be careful in his choice of words,” he said.

He also referred to the prime minister’s directives to Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan to take steps to bring an end to the culture of strike in Karachi.

“What can that governor do when he is not aware of his own status — whether he is on the ECL (exit control list) or not. The prime minister should apologise for calling Karachiites a ‘makhi’ (fly).”

Earlier, the party’s coordination committee said in a statement that the people of the city had no interest in calling strikes but it was always done as a mark of protest to get their rights.

“The law-enforcement agencies, including police and Rangers, kept arresting MQM’s innocent workers and killing them extra-judicially in custody. It’s unfortunate that rather than taking notice of extra-judicial killings of innocent civilians by the law-enforcement agencies, the prime minister made fun of the matter.”

It said such remarks appeared to make a mockery of the dead and also added to the grief of the bereaved families.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2015

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