POOR AND MIDDLE CLASS WILL BOYCOTT THE PARTIES OF FEUDALS AND WADERAS -- ALTAF HUSSAIN

Karachi – 11 March 2004
Mr Altaf Hussain, MQM Founder Leader, has said that the middle class and poor people of the country are rapidly awakening and will now boycott the parties, of feudal lords and waderas, responsible for their exploitation. He was addressing a huge gathering organised by Punjabi Pakhtoon Ittehad at New Sabzi Mandi (Vegetable Market) in Karachi. He said that the people belonging to different communities and sub-nationalities were confronted against each other through conspiracies, however, the public is now well aware and will not allow any such conspiracy to succeed. While condemning the role of certain television channels, Mr Hussain said that all these channels ignore Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and invite renowned intellectuals, experts and political observers in their debates and discussion programs. In these programs they only discuss the two political parties and do not even mention the MQM, which is the third largest political party of the country and enjoys the support of millions of people belonging to the poor and middle class. Despite the fact that huge majority of their audience belong to the poor and middle class, these channels continue to ignore their representative political party. He warned that if these television channels will not stop their biased and prejudice attitude towards the representative political party of the poor and middle class then the people of poor and middle class will stop viewing these channels and start collecting funds from Karachi to Khyber (NWFP) to launch their own television channel.

Mr Hussain said that these channels do not issue any news of the MQM and even if they do then huge public gatherings are only allocated in a few seconds and the crowd of millions is displayed as only a few people. He said that this discrimination must stop and the MQM must be given its due share and if this continues then the poor and middle class have the democratic right to decide on the future of these channels. He said that not a single leader of the two political parties discussed on these channels, has ever visited the Sabzi Mandi or have enquired about the issues and problems facing the poor workers there. None of the two political parties have ever awarded election tickets to any poor or middle class person. Mr Hussain said that he has closely seen the Sabzi Mandi and has visited it along with his father to buy vegetables and fruits. He said that he is fully aware that big traders and brokers get their earnings but the poor loaders (labours) do not get due compensation for their hard work.

Mr Hussain said that the message of righteousness has reached Sabzi Mandi and by the grace of Allah Almighty a system will soon be in place where not only the traders and brokers will earn their livings but also the poor labourers will be able to earn honourable living. Mr Hussain said that unfortunately for the past 56 years, feudal lords and waderas have been ruling the country; after them their brothers or sons replaced them and so continued the rule of feudal class. These feudal lords and waderas do not permit opening of any school in the rural areas of Sindh, NWFP, Punjab and Balochistan and the poor peasants are deprived of even basic amenities. These feudals and waderas treat the poor peasants and farmers as their slaves and don’t provide even basic rights to them. If a daughter of these poor peasant or farmer decides to get married on her own then they murder them in the name of karokari or honour killing. However, their own daughters are acquiring education overseas and if they decide to get married on their own then they are not subjected to any jirga.

Mr Hussain said that if a wadera or feudal lord is murdered then intellectuals, experts and politicians issue statement in the newspapers and televisions and term it as a national loss but they failed to utter even a single word on the ruthless and callous murder of two innocent and poor girls Hajra and Sassi (who were brutally raped before being murdered) and this tragic incident was not declared as national loss. Why? Mr Hussain said that on the one hand the feudals and waderas are exploiting the poor and on the other hand the so-called religious leaders are exploiting the poor in the name of religion. They deceive the public by declaring that woman rule is not according to the Sharia whereas when a woman is elected as prime minister then they happily and willingly join her cabinet. They preach for other womenfolk to remain housebound but at the time of elections they send their own sisters and daughters in the assemblies. These so-called religious leaders preach others for jihad but send their own children overseas for higher education in America and Britain. These so-called religious leaders acquire the election symbol of book and mislead the innocent public into believing that this book is God Forbid Quran and those who will not vote for Quran, their wives will be forbidden upon them. He declared the book of these mullahs is not Quran but in fact it is the satanic book of Salman Rushdie.

Mr Hussain said that it was propagated that Altaf Hussain is the enemy of Punjabi and Pakhtoons, however it has been witnessed and proven that Altaf Hussain is in fact the enemy of the oppressive system. He said that it is the need of time to get united and spread the righteous message of the MQM in every nook and corner of the country.