Prominent religious leader, Dr Tahirul Qadri, is escorted by the leader of coalition party Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Farooq Sattar as he arrives at their office in Karachi, Pakistan, yesterday. Thousands of supporters of MQM and Tahirul Qadri gathered in Karachi to listen to a speech by Qadri, who returned to the country after a long time, where he called for a march to capital Islamabad if government fails to begin electoral reforms within three weeks.
Internews/Islamabad
|
|
Sindhi nationalist parties have turned down an invitation from Dr Tahirul Qadri, founder of the Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI), to join the January 14 long march to Islamabad.
The Sindh United Party (SUP) and Sindh Taraqi Pasand (STP) announced their decisions separately yesterday, a day after an MQI delegation approached them for support.
The parties, which are also a part of the Sindh Progressive Nationalist Alliance (SPNA), cited the active participation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and a lack of clarity in the objectives of Dr Qadri as the reasons.
“The political forces which talk about electoral reforms, [want a] say in the caretaker setup and [seek an] end to feudal control of the government will have to change their minds first,” said Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, president of SUP and convenor of the Sindh Bachayo Committee.
“They will have to dissociate from a party which has a feudalistic mindset,” said Shah.