General Workers Ijlaas

KARACHI: The Chief of Muttahida Quami Movement Altaf Hussain has declared that his party has now came back on the right track and was ready for struggle on the basis of ideology, and warned all those who believed in political thinking to leave the party and "go home".

He said this while addressing a general workers' meeting from London on telephone on Tuesday. The speech of the Muttahida chief was relayed in more than 17 cities and towns of the country and a large number of party activists including ministers, advisers and legislators attended the meeting at Nine Zero.

Altaf Hussain also appealed to old party workers to come back in the party's fold to run it on ideological grounds and asked them to contact him directly through email. He also gave his personal email number to the party workers while the workers welcomed the announcement of the party chief and assured him that they were ready to struggle for ideology and would not indulge in any political activities.

The Muttahida chief declared that his party was an ideological party and its objectives were not power and government. He advised that those party leaders and workers who believed in political struggle should leave the party and join some political parties.

Altaf said that he would never mind if his party would not be elected to even a single seat in the elections and even if the party strength was reduced. The Muttahida chief said he would be happy even if five dedicated and ideological workers would be with him in the party.

Criticising the political parties the Muttahida chief said that the poor people of all four provinces were being deprived of their due share since the last 56 years while the PPP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Muslim League and other political parties were contesting elections and coming into power. He said that the aims and objectives of these political parties were power and government but the Muttahida's aims and objectives were not power or government.

He asked the party workers whether they wanted a political party or an ideological one, and declared that he would not want to remain a leader of a political party as he had struggled for ideology since the inception of the Muttahida in 1978.

Altaf said there would be no revolution in the country through political thinking and directed the workers to remain strict on the party's ideology. Criticising the leaders and workers for forgetting the names of the killers who murdered the party workers and tortured them during the PPP government, the Muttahida chief said he was disappointed with this situation and asked the party workers whether they had confidence in his leadership or not. Emotionally-charged workers of the party raised slogans like 'Hum Ko Manzil Nahee Rahnuma Chahiye' (we do not need a goal, we need a leader).

Altaf warned the ministers, advisers and party legislators to follow the schedule and programme of the party otherwise he would use his constitutional power against them if they violated the party discipline. He also directed the party workers to hold weekly meetings, look after the orphans and widows whose fathers and husbands were sacrificed during the struggle, look after the jailed party workers and their families.

He warned that action would be taken against those who found involved in extortion, cheating in examinations and threatening people. He said these elements would be expelled from the party and their basic membership would be cancelled.

He also warned that any attempt of the agencies and criminals to damage the party would not be accepted and declared that ideological workers would foil such a move. He also appealed to the Sindhi speaking people to be ready to face criminal elements and asked the party workers to prepare mentally if the situation required to bring the Sindhi speaking people to Karachi.

However, Altaf said that Muttahida did not believe in confrontation and violence and wanted to continue its struggle for the peaceful atmosphere. He also declared that Muttahida was ready to make sacrifices as it did in the past for peace and ideology.

Altaf said that Muttahida MNAs who called on President Gen Pervez Musharraf recently conveyed the party's stands on the Thal Canal issue and asked the federal government as to why the Sindh Assembly resolution against Thal Canal was ignored.