MQM leader urges media to shun its practice of twisting facts
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Posted on: 10/8/2013
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Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly, Faisal Sabzwari, has urged the media to immediately shun the process of targeting Karachi and its elected representatives through twisting of facts.
“The National Database and Registration Authority’s (Nadra) report concerning NA-256 is being presented on the media in an absolutely wrong manner and, as such’ it was highly condemnable act and also amounted to prejudice against Karachiites,” he added.
Mr Sabzwari along with other Haq Parast legislators --- MNAs Iqbal Mohammad Ali, Khwaja Suhail Mansoor, Asif Hasnain, Sufian Yousuf and Advocate Iqbal Quadri -- was speaking at a hurriedly called news conference held here on Tuesday at Azizabad’s Khursheed Begum Secretariat.
He said that the MQM which has strong reservation over the tempering of Nadra report and the manner in which it was being portrayed in the media would soon approach court.
Referring to Nadra’s report concerning NA-256, the MQM leader said that the Nadra while explaining its entire process of verification of votes has explicitly pointed out that thumb impressions on 77,000 ballots could not be authenticated or matched through its system as the fingerprints were of very poor quality owing to a lack of essential properties of the ink and inkpad in the process of balloting, besides Nadra has neither described the votes as `fake’ nor `bogus’.
Moreover, the outcome of the verification of thumb impressions, if undertaken across the country, would also remain the same, he opined.
Although it was the constitutional right of all citizens to exercise their right of franchise and elect whosoever they liked, citizens through a deep-rooted conspiracy were being pushed towards wall by snatching their right to vote, he said, adding that such act was in continuation of conspiracies being hatched against the MQM from time to time.
Recalling that the MQM, PPP and ANP which rendered immense sacrifices for the promotion of democracy in the country had to face acts of terrorism, intimidation and attacks during election campaigns on behalf of Taliban and other extremist elements, Mr Sabzwar said that the act of pushing elected representatives of a particular community towards wall would yield nothing except for creating hatred.
He posed a question to the media reporters, anchor persons and analysts to tell the difference between NA-256 and NA-258 and said that the media was making hue and cry over the verification of thumb impressions of votes of NA-265 merely because Iqbal Mohammad Ali who belonged to MQM had emerged victorious from this constituency for the third time.
In fact, people of Sindh, including that of Karachi, had always reposed their full confidence in the MQM, he said, adding that even in 1992 when worst kind of state oppression was carried out against MQM, the Karachites had remained with the party and had completely supported the party when it had boycotted elections in 1993.
The MQM leader regretted that although the provision of election material and to check their quality as well as the deployment of presiding officers was the sole job of Election Commission, efforts were being made to hold the MQM responsible in this regard which, he said was misleading step and a highly condemnable act.
He said that although use of Rule 10-A in the election process was mandatory, it was applied only once and that too for the verification of voters’ lists only.
He deplored that it was an irony that those who could not win elections were not willing to accept their defeat whether the elections were held under the supervision of Election Commission or Nadra, or Army, or Supreme Court.
At the outset, the MQM leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly said that with a view to making the election process non-controversial, it was essential that Nadra staff must undergo regular training but it be provided with latest technology.
He said that when the process of verifying votes through Nadra had begun so it must reach to its logical end and the same process be carried out in Karachi alone but in the entire country.
He assured that the MQM would not only extend its support but would fully cooperate with the authorities for the adoption of any method which would be aimed at making the election process transparent.
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7/18/2024 2:27:07 PM
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