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Karachi: The MQM on Thursday
continued its boycott of provincial Assembly of
Sindh against owning of perceived controversial
People’s Aman Committee (PAC) by Sindh home minister
and PPP Sindh vice president Dr Zulfiqar Mirza.
On the other hand,
the home minister declared that the PAC was a social
organisation like the Khidmat Khalq Foundation, Al-Khidmat
Foundation and Edhi Foundation. “The PAC is a social
organisation that is working on social issues,”
Mirza said while answering a volley of questions by
reporters outside the Assembly building.
Earlier, when the
home minister entered the house at 12:5 pm, the PPP
legislators welcomed him by thumping desks and
chanting slogans “Qadam Barhao Mirza, Hum Tumaharay
Sath Hain, long live Bhutto, long live Benazir.”
Mirza explained that
his speech during the 7th death anniversary of ex-MPA
Abdullah Murad Baloch on Sunday in Malir was his
political right. It was prerogative of any political
party to offer anyone to join the party. He said the
MQM had also recruited people from other districts
of Sindh and alleged that some of them were
undesirable elements.
He said the PAC was
being run by the PPP’s hardcore workers who tended
to settle the small disputes of the residents of
Lyari and Malir respectively. “They (PAC) are
becoming popular there, which means that they are
doing something good there,” Mirza said, adding that
the PPP was keeping watch on them. The home minister
said it was an injustice to declare all leadership
of the PAC and its members as criminals,
extortionists and kidnappers. Mirza said as per
reports of the both police and Citizens-Police
Liaison Committee, Lyari Town comes at third number
as far as crime rate was concerned among 18 towns of
Karachi. Therefore, labeling Lyari as a hub of
criminal activities was an injustice with its
residents. He also showed the copy of the report to
reporters.
He said there were
criminal elements in each party. The MQM members
were also allegedly involved in the killings, Mirza
said, claiming that even the MQM leaders have
publicly admitted that they expelled thousands of
the workers from the MQM on charges of their
involvement in criminal activities. Similarly, the
home minister said the PPP also tended to expel such
undesirable elements from the party. He said crimes
were part of the society and the people were also
part of the society.
He disclosed that the
PPP leadership was in contact with the MQM. He
revealed senior minister, Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq talked
to the Governor Sindh, Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad on
Thursday to persuade the MQM legislators to end the
boycott of the assembly. Mirza said that small
mistakes and misunderstandings should be ignored,
adding that the MQM legislators should represent
their constituents in the assembly.
To a question, the
home minister said he would ‘never say sorry’ over
what he stated in his speech. “At present, I am in
no mood to go to Nine Zero,” he said, adding that
being the home minister, he could go anywhere for
sake of the peace. However, Mirza declared that he
would never make a compromise.
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