KARACHI, March 31: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal Karachi chapter has condemned authorities for summoning traders and transporters to the Governor’s House and hurling threats of grave consequences at them if they responded to the MMA strike call for Saturday.
MMA leaders Hafiz Muhammad Taqi, Shaikh Rafique Ahmad Qari Muhammad Usman, Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, and others, in a statement, said the Governor’s House had been turned into a torture cell of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and the governor was playing the role of an MQM office bearer and worker.
The governor was been repeating the black episode of the past, they said, adding that traders and transporters were being mentally tortured at the Governor’s House, similar to that done in the past when MQM opponents and dissidents were tortured in torture cells.
The MMA leaders said all undemocratic and mean tactics were being applied to fail the April 2nd strike.
They said that holding strike was a democratic right of people and a natural way of peaceful protest. The call for April 2nd strike was given against increasing poverty, price-hike, unemployment, obscenity and anarchy.
And, any strike joined by citizens, traders and people belonging to various walks of life voluntarily had always turned out to be a success, while forcing people to observe or to refrain from going on strike had always resulted in creating a law and order situation, they remarked.
They pointed out that the MQM had in the past set records of forcing people to observe strikes by burning hundreds of vehicles and killing dozens of people.
On the contrary, today, the MQM governor and the provincial ministers by misusing their powers and resources were attempting to create a situation to fail the MMA’s strike.
“Threats by provincial ministers, and the involvement of the Governor’s House to stop traders and transporters from observing strike is an indication that the MQM had planned large scale terrorism. It was the same MQM, who for achieving their objectives, had raised slogans against army dictators and feudal lords in the past, while today it was supporting them.
“Whatever action the government takes, from the Governor’s House till the prime minister’s and president’s houses, against failing the strike, the people will foil the same by observing a complete and peaceful strike,” the MMA leaders said.
Meanwhile, the MMA leaders on Thursday visited various markets and business centres along with the chairman of the Association of Market Alliance, Attique Mir, and other business representatives, and exchanged views about soaring prices and other pressing problems of people.
The MMA leader appealed to them to join the April 2nd countrywide strike.
The Vegetable and Fruit Vendors Federation, water board’s and other workers’ unions on Thursday met the leaders of the National Labour Federation and assured them of full cooperation in the strike.