Musharraf, MQM killed PPP workers during May 12 carnage in Karachi, says Bilawal

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday heavily criticised rival Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for what he termed their plans to bring back “politics of ethnicity” in Karachi, ARY News reported.

Addressing party workers and supporters in Karachi’s Bagh-e-Jinnah, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that MQM did not serve the city in last 30 years and are now trying to win back the vote by reviving politics of ethnicity.

The PPP Chairman paid tribute to party’s May 12, 2007 martyrs and blamed MQM and its “patron-dictator” General (retd) Musharraf for the carnage and killing of party workers in the city.

“It was on May 12, when PPP workers going towards airport to welcome then Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry were surrounded and mercilessly killed by Musharraf and his cronies…they didn’t let us lift the bodies of our workers,” Bilawal said while comparing the May 12 carnage to Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

He lamented that the massacre of PPP workers and citizens of Karachi was “organized sadly by the same party which claims to represent the city”.

Quota system

Bilawal said that people of Karachi are told that PPP is their enemy because it introduced the quota system but in fact, it was first introduced by Pakistan’s first premier Liaquat Ali Khan in 1948 and last notification was issued by Dictator General Yahya on January 16, 1971.

“These elements are misguiding the masses. PPP and Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto made no new legislation about quota system. They have no truth to stand on,” said the PPP chairman.

Responding to MQM’s criticism after this April 29 rally in Liaquatabad, Bilawal maintained the he would have entered Liaquatabad earlier if he knew it will unite the “many factions of MQM”.

‘MQM Bani Gala’

Turning his guns on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Bilawal reminded the audience about the May 8 scuffle between PTI and PPP workers in Karachi over the venue for today’s rally.

He said that on May 8, PTI workers established a camp in Hakim Saeed ground without seeking permission from city administration and then resorted to violence.

“Ironically, one group of Musharraf’s henchmen (MQM) martyred our innocent workers on May 12, 2007 & 11 years later Musharraf’s second group (PTI) attacked us again. We didn’t fear them then and now, because we believe in people power,” said Bilawal while comparing PTI chief Imran Khan to Altaf Hussain.

In an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, Bilawal criticised both MQM and PTI by saying that none of the MQM factions could give them anything, be it  “MQM-PIB, Bahadurabad or MQM Bani Gala”.