KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has asked his party’s coordination committee to hold a referendum to seek the opinion of MQM workers and the general public whether the party should accept PPP’s invitation to join the Sindh government.

The MQM held a meeting at the Lal Qila Ground on Monday to seek the opinion of its lawmakers and office-bearers of different organisational wings on the matter.

When Mr Hussain, speaking on phone from London, asked the people gathered there about their opinion, they unanimously said the MQM should stay in the opposition.

After this, he directed the coordination committee to hold the referendum so that the party could prepare its plan for the future.

Mr Hussain criticised law-enforcement agencies and accused them of arresting and killing innocent people.

He said the MQM would approach the United Nations and the Supreme Court with details about its slain and missing workers.

He said that in 1991, a manhandling incident involving army officer Major Kaleem in Landhi led to an army operation against the ‘whole Mohajir nation’, but no action was taken in Lyari where Rangers personnel had been killed.

The MQM chief criticised Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah for visiting what he called the ‘den of killers in Lyari’ instead of offering prayers at a mosque after taking oath of office for a fresh term.

He said he had made several offers to the army to bring the entire nation on a single platform to combat terrorism. But instead of paying any heed to the offer, law-enforcement agencies had started arresting workers of his party.

Mr Hussain condemned the attack on the Quaid-i-Azam’s residency in Ziarat and Saturday’s killings in Quetta.

He said that although billions of rupees had been spent on security agencies, terrorists were carrying out subversive activities.

“Terrorists are roaming freely and Rangers and security agencies are arresting innocent MQM workers in Karachi, subjecting them to torture and carrying extrajudicial killings.”

He asked the army, Rangers and intelligence agencies to stop killing MQM workers. “Come talk to us... we do not want to fight, we are not anyone’s enemy.”