The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Monday announced its manifesto for the upcoming general elections. The manifesto was announced by MQM's Deputy Convenor Dr Farooq Sattar at a ceremony held at Lal Qila Ground here. MQM's manifesto stressed on reforms and party's priorities to tackle a variety of issues, included education, health, economy, governance, corruption, terrorism, law and order situation, poverty alleviation, unemployment, industries and the labour sector.
Dr Sattar said that empowering people was crucial for national prosperity, adding that the MQM would empower people and bring the feudal class and landlords under tax net, besides imposing agricultural tax. He said that the local government system was part of MQM's manifesto, adding that although democracy had empowered the people, but their miseries had not been fully addressed because of the absence of the local government system at grass-root level.
He said that the MQM wanted to hold local government elections within three months after the general elections for devolution of power. The MQM leader also said that the current education system would be reformed, adding that Urdu-medium public schools would be brought on a par with Grammar and English-medium institutions.
"Syllabi of public sector and Urdu-medium schools would be drastically revised, making the syllabi of all educational institutions, and Madressahs will be provided incentives to bring them at par with mainstream educational institutions at the national level" , he added. Dr Sattar also said that his party was committed to an independent and free judiciary and the imposition of rule of law.
"Jail reforms would be introduced while legal and broad-based amendments would be introduced in the Constitution," he revealed. Dr Sattar said that MQM believed in the freedom of the media, adding that life insurance for working journalists would also be ensured. He was accompanied, among others, by Deputy Convenors Dr Khalid Maqbool, Nasreen Jalil, Mustafa Kamal, Kanwar Naveed Jamil, Kanwar Khalid Younus, Waseem Aftab, Raza Haroon, Shahid Lateef and Aamir Khan.
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