LONDON, May 8: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has said that if conspiracies are hatched to end the present elected government, all workers and supporters of the MQM will stand to defend democracy.

He said the MQM had announced a peaceful rally in Karachi on May 12, according to a press release.

“The rally will prove that the people of Sindh, particularly Karachi, believe in democracy and the independence of judiciary and they reject conspirators and political jugglers,” Mr Hussain said while addressing on Tuesday a large gathering of MQM workers at the MQM head office and 17 other zones of Sindh.

He rejected opposition parties’ claim that their rally in support of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on the same day (May 12) would prove that the people of Sindh and Karachi were with them. Mr Hussain said that these political and religious parties had been repeatedly rejected by the people of Karachi in elections and now under the slogan of the independence of judiciary they planed to make Karachi a battlefield for political gains.

Mr Hussain said that his party believed in the independence of judiciary and strengthening of institutions but was against political jugglers who were politicising the issue of judiciary.

The MQM chief appealed to mothers, sisters, elders, particularly lawyers who believe in the independence of judiciary, and all MQM workers to participate in the MQM rally and prove that the Karachi and Sindh belonged to the Haq Parast people. He appealed to the people and workers to remain peaceful during the rally.