Bilawal says quota system was imposed by Liaquat Ali Khan rather than Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Saturday said that Imran Khan is being made another MQM founder in Karachi's politics.
Addressing a rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah ground here, the PPP leader said the people of Karachi would not tolerate another MQM founder in the form of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman.
He strongly criticised the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) blaming it for the metropolis' civic woes.
"If Karachi is not getting water and its streets have garbage heaps all over, it is the MQM which is responsible for this, not the PPP. We gave billions to Karachi Municipal Corporation but the mayor embezzled the funds," Bilawal said.
"The MQM can't tolerate developmental work in Karachi. They don't work and neither let anyone else work."
Speaking of the quota system in Sindh, he said it was imposed by former prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan rather than the PPP's founding leader and ex-premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
"Those engaged in misleading have no truth to tell the people," the PPP chairman said.
Criticising the PTI, he said that Tehreek-e-Insaf and the MQM were two sides of the same coin.
Bilawal alleged that PTI members fired shots and injured PPP workers during the clash at Hakeem Saeed ground in Karachi a few days ago.
"We chose Hakeem Saeed ground to pay tribute to our martyrs of May 12. On May 12, 2007, Musharraf's cronies martyred our workers," he said.
"This is our city and we can do our gathering anywhere in the metropolis."
Bilawal said that on May 12, the dictator of the time was smiling, while the people of Karachi were picking up bodies.
"PPP workers were attacked in Karachi on May 12. Awami National Party activists, lawyers and innocent people of the city were killed. The people of Karachi were praying for their life," he said. "They were praying for their lives to be saved from militant wing of a political party."
Taking further jibes at the MQM-P, the PPP leader said that soon after his party's rally in Liaquatabad all of the MQM-P's factions united. "Had I known MQM-P would unite, I would've held the rally way before."
Bilawal said the PPP served the metropolis at the best of its abilities, but the MQM was continuously disrupting the developmental work due to its political interests.
"Why K-4 project was not initiated during Musharraf's tenure, when the MQM had complete hold of the city," he questioned.
The PPP chairman said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's government in centre considers itself to be government of only Islamabad.
He accused the centre of having a discriminatory attitude towards Karachi and Sindh.