KARACHI, June 3: Founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain has vowed to emancipate Pakistan’s oppressed people from the age-old exploitative system. He declared that his party would change the face of Lyari and improve quality of life of its people.

He was telephonically addressing a public meeting of the MQM in Lyari’s Kakri ground on Saturday night. He focused on the development projects MQM-led city government had envisaged for improving the living conditions of the Lyari people, who, according to Mr Hussain, had been betrayed by the past regimes and parties.

“We’ll change the destiny of Lyari because we are committed to do it,” he added.

A large number of people gathered at the ground, which and the buildings surrounding it had been hugely illuminated. A tight security cover had been provided in and outside the meeting place where police, law-enforcement agencies and activists of the MQM were checking all the people coming to attend the meeting rigorously.

Promising to change the destiny of an area where the PPP had never lost any election since 1971, the MQM leader said his party would field its candidate for Lyari’s and National and Sindh Assembly seats and would turn winner. “We’ll win the next elections in Lyari as we’ll win in other non-traditional parts of the country and I am predicting this because I have foreseen after seeing such a huge attendance in the public meeting,” Mr Hussain said.

The MQM chief started his speech in Balochi. He said people of Lyari had the history of fighting against dictatorships and have given huge sacrifices for late Bhutto and his party, but the PPP, despite its tall claims, never took care of it. “The PPP always won from Lyari and came into power three times but never fulfilled promises. Every time they came to power they neglected the people of Lyari and saw it destroyed,” said Mr Hussain. He said the MQM was making no promises but was doing for Lyari’s development in advance.

Mr Hussain said the Sindh Governor had announced 16 development schemes worth 56.8 million while the MQM’s ministers had launched various other schemes for social uplift of the area.

The MQM leader said the public meeting had proved that Lyari was going to become yet another stronghold of the MQM. “PPP never promotes the poor while we are the only party, which always honours and promotes the poor because its leadership also belongs to the lower middle class,” he said.

Earlier deputy convener of the MQM Dr Farooq Sattar said the people of Pakistan were not interested in Charter of Democracy, which he claimed was a farce. Instead, he said the people wanted more jobs, better education and health facilities and civic infrastructure.