Altaf offers PTI to hold rally at Jinnah Ground

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf HUssain on Wednwesday offered the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold a public rally at the Jinnah Ground in Azizabad — an area known to be a stronghold of the MQM in Karachi.

Bye-elections are scheduled to be held on Azizabad's NA-246 seat on April 23, for which the PTI is planning a public rally at Jinnah Ground on April 19.

But things got ugly when workers of both partes came face to face as PTI candidate Imran Ismail visited Jinnah Ground on Tuesday. Scuffles broke out as workers of both parties chanted slogans against each other. Both parties later lodged FIRs blaming each other for the violent incident.

However, in a statement issued this morning, MQM chief Altaf Hussain offered PTI to hold their rally at Jinnah Ground, asking workers of both parties not to let verbal confrontation turn into animosity.

“If the leaders of Tehreek-e-Insaf hold their rally elsewhere then MQM would cooperate with PTI in providing whatever assistance and cooperation they would need but if they insist on holding their rally in Jinnah Ground then MQM should be given time to make proper arrangement for protection of the monument and would request PTI to ensure its sanctity,” he said, asking Governor Sindh to hold an emergency meeting of both parties.

He said that he did not want to blame anyone for this incident as his intentions were noble and that he wanted free and fair elections to be held in a peaceful manner.