KARACHI, June 18: Deputy convener of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s coordination committee and its candidate in NA-255 byelection on Wednesday lashed out at the alleged double standards of the religious parties, especially on the question of the rights of women.

Addressing election meetings in Landhi C-1 area and 1-D area Sunehri masjid, Dr Farooq Sattar said that right from Bi Amman to Fatima Jinnah, ladies had played a pivotal role in the Pakistan movement.

He said that when the religious parties wanted votes they talked of women’s rights, otherwise they were their staunch opponent and exploiter.

Deploring the campaign launched by some religious parties against billboards carrying picture of women, he expressed the hope that women of the area would express their indignation by voting against such custodians of religion.

He said when the question of women’s representation in the assemblies came up, Qazi Hussain Ahmed preferred his daughter, Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani gave the ticket to his sister, and the general secretary of the Jamat-i-Islami sent his wife to the parliament. On the contrary, he said, the MQM’s founder Altaf Hussain, had preferred workers over his relations.

He said the people of Landhi had overcome the element of fear which had dominated their mindset during the past decade and they were now willingly participating in the democratic process.

Dr Sattar said that his first priority would be to ensure active participation of the people in managing their affairs by restoring their confidence.

He said those who had made the people suffer, created a state within the state were now on the run.

Meanwhile, the MQM founder Altaf Hussain paid tributes to those who perished in the June 19, 1992 operations.