KARACHI: Former president Pervez Musharraf and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah congratulated Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain on Friday on the success of his party’s candidate in the NA-246 by-election.

According to a statement issued by the MQM from London, retired Gen Musharraf phoned the Muttahida chief and congratulated him and his party on the success of Kanwar Naveed Jameel, who emerged victorious in Thursday’s by-election.

The chief minister also congratulated Mr Hussain and said the success in the by-poll with a huge margin showed that the MQM had people’s support and faith.

The statement said the CM also conveyed the felicitation of former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari.

Speaking from London to a large number of people gathered in the Jinnah ground to celebrate the victory in the small hours of Friday, Mr Hussain said the result of the by-election had once again proved that the Karachiites and the MQM were inseparable.

He demanded that the mandate of the MQM be accepted.

He said some elements had propagated that he and his party had almost lost their popularity among the masses but the people neither accepted any ‘minus-one’ formula nor agreed to be separated from the party.

Mr Hussain alleged that workers and supporters of his party were being targeted in the name of the Karachi operation. Pillion riding was banned only in the central district and only people of Karachi were ordered to keep their original computerised national identity cards with them, he said.

He alleged that Rangers personnel had been deputed in the polling stations of the constituency to harass the people. But despite all the hurdles, the MQM emerged victorious because of the ‘martyrs’, especially Syed Waqas Shah who was killed during a protest over a raid on the party headquarters, he said.

The MQM chief also congratulated the Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for conducting an enthusiastic and active election campaign.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2015

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