MQM quits the government and decides to sit on the opposition benches in parliament. The reason given – Pakistan Peoples Party, Zardari group was reportedly forcing them to back off on an AJK seat and when the force failed, the election was postponed on a report from the newly appointed police authority
Since as long as I remember MQM has not let a day pass by in which it has not somehow claimed that it has proprietary rights over Karachi. Recent years also saw the
MQM apparently claiming to be a national party with the interests of Pakistan at heart. Since 2008 Karachi has seen substantial increase in killings, extra judicial murders, the sale of police stations, extreme power shortage, corruption, loot and massacre in government organistaions, an infrastructure that is not on the verge of collapse but which has already collapsed. Karachi sees on a daily basis people dieing in ambulances because they can not get to hospital in time due to traffic jams on roads. Karachi sees the land mafia conducting their activities with impunity. Karachi witnessed schools being turned into jails with high walls, barbed wires, security cameras and walk through gates. The lives of the people of Karachi (along with other Pakistanis) is miserable. People have lost hope and are looking to immigrate to other countries.
None of the above reasons was good enough for the political parties, MQM being one of them, to take a stance and quit the government. While the government delibrately turned a blind eye towards certain condemnable actions of MQM, all was good with MQM. MQM continued to stay in the government for the sake of democracy – which I label as “daco-cracy” and the sake of the hypocritical and self serving “mafahmatee policy”. No body has forgotten the recent days when MQM spokespersons would criticize the government yet claim that because they are the champions of democracy they continue to support the power groups. All that changed over night over one election seat! Rehman Malik who the MQM loved and wanted to replace Mirza with is now a villain. President seems to be a persona non grata now. Democracy and mafahmat that MQM harped about for so long all of a sudden is not important enough! How hypocritical is that. I for one do not believe that all this has happened due to the AJK seat. One can sense a much deeper conspiracy that has motivated such and the time is not far when it will come to light.
If a news report published by The News is to be believed, plans are afoot by the President to change the local government system; restore the old status of Karachi and Hyderabad, conduct special audits of the city district governments of Karachi and Hyderabad, and delimit the constituencies. In other words, plans are afoot to take revenge on the ruling party. The reaction of the government towards MQM’s departure is also what we have seen over the years in Pakistan. When friends are friends they can do whatever they want to. When friends turn foes they will be crushed with the power of the State machinery.
A queer feeling is that what lies ahead is more blood shed and killing in Karachi. Main stream political parties appear simply as a bunch of ruffians battling for turf rather than the good of the country. We will destroy ourselves if we continue to play a game of musical chairs with the same players as participants. A change of faces will not cure us. We need a change of system. How that can be achieved is perhaps another blog for another day.
