MQM announces boycott of Sindh LG elections
Pakistan
MQM stands with federal government for sake of democracy, says Khalid Maqbool
KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has announced boycott of today’s local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad.
Addressing a press conference late Saturday in Karachi MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that they were going to boycott the local body polls because of their reservations that were not paid heed to.
He said that MQM was boycotting elections due to injustice and behaviour of the Elecxtion Commission. He said that they had contacted every forum including courts on the issue.
The MQM convener held Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) accountable for monitoring the delimitation. He said that for delimitation they waited until the very last minute, adding that delimitation was the responsibility of ECP.
He said that they were contacted by the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as well. Khalid Maqbool showed resolve to keep standing with federal government for the sake of democracy despite their reservations.
MQM-P Convener also said that even before the local body elections there was rigging and the elections were not acceptable for them.
He further said that they had struggled during the last six months at every level but the efforts of giving respect to vote could not be completed.
He was addressing press conference after a meeting with MQM-P’s senior leadership including Farooq Sattar, Mustafa Kamal, Faisal Sabzwari and others.
Mustafa Kamal speaking at the moment said that the provincial government admitted the mistake of delimitation in 53 union councils and had written to the ECP. He said that in the past Jamaat-e-Islami s mayor only put up their names to projects but only MQM has served the people of the city.
