MQM pleads ‘Karachi’s case’ in NA

The MQM forcefully pleaded what it called “Karachi’s case” on Monday, demanding more federal resources, in the face of some sniping both from opponents and allies as the National Assembly debated last week’s violence in Pakistan’s commercial capital with calls for strong action against terrorism.

At least two members of the Awami National Party (ANP) and one from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) seemed to be pointing fingers at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) during the heated debate that arose on the first day of the house session from four identical adjournment motions over Friday’s two apparently sectarian bomb attacks at a bus and later at a hospital in Karachi that killed about 30 people and wounded more than 100 on the occasion of the Chehlum of Imam Hussain’s martyrdom.

But MQM deputy parliamentary leader Haider Abbas Rizvi came out with an impressive rejoinder, which he titled as “Karachi’s case”, dismissing any shortcoming on the part of his party, which he said lost several of its own workers at the hospital while donating blood for the victims of the bus bombing.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik put off to Tuesday his response to the debate because of what he said was an “important meeting” he had to attend late in the evening, after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani too left the house in apparent anger at a PML-N member’s outburst that an American security agency formerly known as Blackwater was providing security to him and President Asif Ali Zardari.

The prime minister, who usually personally responds to critical references to him made in his presence in the house, left the house without responding though he said something, which was inaudible in the press gallery, to PML-N’s Tehmina Daultana when she came to his desk after her fiery speech, leaving the job to the interior minister, who rejected the charge as “our insult” and with his oft-repeated statement that “there is no Blackwater in Pakistan”.

He said only Pakistani police and agencies were providing security to the president and the prime minister.

But Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi did not accede to the minister’s demand to expunge Mrs Dautlana’s objectionable remarks from the record of the proceedings.

Bushra Gohar and Pervaiz Khan of the ANP, which is a partner with the MQM in the Pakistan People’s Party-led coalition governments at the centre and in Sindh, complained of “target-killing of Pakhtuns” in Karachi and that their party was not being taken into confidence about what is decided in PPP-MQM meetings over Karachi affairs.

But Khan’s ire was stronger than that of his other party colleague. He threatened that ANP’s two ministers could withdraw from the Sindh cabinet and said no one group should think of dominating Karachi at the cost of Pakhtuns or forcing them to leave Karachi.

PML-N’s Birjees Tahir said if people responsible for the May 12, 2007 violence in Karachi on the occasion of a visit there by then suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had been brought to justice, recent incidents of violence like those on the Ashura day last month and on Friday would not have happened. Rizvi blamed Karachi’s problems to lack of resources to meet the needs of what has now become the Muslim world’s largest city whose population, he said, was rising by a million every year, including some 700,000 coming from other parts of the country, including criminals who would form gangs and then mafias like the land mafia.

He said his party would have no objection to a demand to deweaponise Karachi if it were done for other parts of the country as well and, in a reference to the arms-producing tribal areas, called for blocking the sources of supplies, which he pointed out, come from elsewhere as Karachi has no arms factories.

“Karachi is like a cow which all want to milk but are not ready to give it fodder,” Rizvi said about pressure of population in Karachi and called upon the federal government to provide more resources so the city could ensure necessary facilities to its citizens.

About ANP member Pervaiz Khan’s complaint that Pakhtuns were facing problems in getting domicile certificates and national identity cards in Karachi, Mr Rizvi said it was the “fault of technology”, wondering how non-permanent residents could get the same in Karachi as well as in their home provinces or towns.

The debate was continuing when the house was adjourned until 10am on Tuesday.