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Save Balochistan from separation, Altaf asks Punjab

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LAHORE: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has supported the demand for a Seraiki province, promising to hold a referendum after coming to power.

Altaf also offered to mediate between the Baloch and the government and resolve the Balochistan issue through dialogue, to save the province which, he believed, was drifting towards separation.

In his telephonic address from London at the Punjab Stadium, Altaf urged the people to rise and prove themselves a dignified nation. MQM leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Haider Abbas Rizvi, Senator Babar Ghouri, Faisal Sabzwari, Iftikhar Randhawa, Sarfraz Nawaz and Tahira Asif also addressed the gathering which was attended by a large number of party activists hailing from various districts of the Punjab.

A PML-Q delegation led by its parliamentary leader in Punjab Ch Zaheerud Din Khan and former Test cricketer Abdul Qadir and film actor Habib also attended the gathering.

Altaf said it is the time for a change in the fate of the downtrodden and that the Pakistani people must convey to the entire world that they are a single entity and would never compromise on national honour. He said if the nation exhibited discipline and grace, no foreign power could even look at it with evil intentions.

Expressing concern over the killing of people in Balochistan, Altaf demanded immediate steps for redressal of the problems faced by the people. “Dialogue is the only solution to the problems of Balochistan and efforts are needed to save the province,” he said.

Offering mediation between the Baloch and the government, he said the use of power provided no solution to the issues. Promising rights to the deprived Punjabis, Altaf said the MQM would address the issue of the southern Punjab and Bahawalpur and empower and facilitate the people there. He said industries and hospitals would be set up in the Saraiki belt.

Altaf also promised a referendum for the solution of demands such as Saraiki and Bahawalpur provinces. He said the caravan of Muttahida had entered the Punjab and no force, including the establishment, could block its way. A gulf was created between him and people of Punjab, through a planned conspiracy.

He said there is no difference between the people of Sindh and the people of the Punjab and all of them want to see a Pakistan free of corruption and oppression. The MQM Quaid, unveiling his plan for the welfare of the people, said the party would devise an effective system of accountability and ensure an independent judiciary.

Condemning the killing of people in drone strikes, he said the Muttahida would introduce a foreign policy in which no compromise would be made. He asked: “what kind of freedom are we enjoying when our policies are decided by the US and UK?” The MQM would quit power if it failed to fulfill its commitment, he promised.

He said the party would declare education mandatory till matriculation, which would be free of cost. He also promised that the MQM would abolish all bad customs like Karo Kaari (honour killing) and ensure complete rights for women.

End.