KARACHI, Oct 7: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has said that certain quarters are trying to change the direction of national politics towards ethnicity and bigotry, which was prevailing among the religious and political leaders of the then West Pakistan before the 1970 general election.

Speaking from London at the annual relief programme organised by the party’s welfare wing – Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation (KKF) – here on Sunday, the MQM chief appealed to the politicians and the print and electronic media not to divide the nation on ethnic lines and take measures for the solidarity of the country and the nation.

Referring to the East Pakistan debacle, he said that people at the helm of affairs had accepted the disintegration of Pakistan and not to transfer power to the Awami League as they did not want to eliminate the feudal culture in the country. “Today, some of our religious and political leaders are showing similar hatred and bigotry prevailing prior to the 1970 general election,” he said.

Mr Hussain said Pakistan was at a critical juncture and required unity and solidarity. He warned that those who were trying to turn national politics into politics of ethnicity and bigotry were not serving the country and the nation.

He said that for the last two decades the party’s welfare wing had been serving the people without any discrimination.

Later, the KKF distributed cash and goods worth millions of rupees to needy and deserving people.

KKF President Shaikh Liaquat Hussain, MQM leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Anwar Alam, Abdul Haseeb and provincial ministers and advisers, town nazims and others attended the programme.