ISLAMABAD, Aug 30: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Tuesday claimed a landslide victory in the local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad and asked the opposition parties to concede defeat with an open heart.

Speaking at a news conference at the Parliament House here on Tuesday, the party’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar said the MQM had won a significant number of union council seats in interior Sindh.

MQM MNAs Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi, Kunwar Khalid Younus, Dr Abdul Kadir Khanzada and ministers Shamim Siddiqui, Safwanullah and Dr Amir Liaquat were also present on the occasion.

Dr Sattar said that for the first time 50 MQM-backed councillors had won in the PPP-stronghold of Larkana. He said the PPP should reorganize the party and find out its weaknesses after this defeat in the hometown of Opposition Leader in the Sindh Assembly, Nisar Khuhro. Similarly, he said, some 100 councillors had been elected in various cities of Punjab.

The MQM leader said the party was facing no problem in the formation of city governments in Karachi and Hyderabad. “We do not need cooperation of any other party or group as we have over 1,400 Haq Parast councillors in Karachi out of a total of 2,300,” he said, adding: “Our nazim will win with a heavy margin and secure 1,800 to 2,000 votes.”

He said the MQM had won 105 UCs of Karachi out of a total 178 UCs. Similarly, he said, the Haq Parast candidates had won in 36 UCs out of a total 52 UCs in Hyderabad district. He said the MQM had also won a significant number of UCs in Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah where they would make seat adjustments with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) in these districts. Dr Sattar said the people of Karachi came out to cast their ballots in large numbers despite a propaganda campaign by the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) about possible violence in Karachi during the polls.

The MQM leader criticized the performance of the former Karachi Nazim Naimatullah Khan and said the JI grabbed the Karachi city government in 2001 only due to the decision of the MQM to boycott the local polls.

Dr Sattar asked the opposition parties to admit defeat in the local government elections instead of raising allegations of rigging.