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MQM's Charter of Demands

Saturday, June 4, 1994

The so-called "Operation Clean Up" launched two years ago in Sindh province of Pakistan has aggravated the situation further. Political victimization, biased treatment and atrocities committed by the government, the Army and the other law enforcement agencies became the order of the day. In order to bring about peace, sanity, tranquillity and amity the internationally accepted principles of "Taxation without representation is a tyranny", must be recognized and the inalienable, political and economic rights of Mohajirs be restored by taking inter alia the following steps.

  1. Operation Clean Up, directed against Mohajirs be discontinued forthwith. All military and para-military forces be withdrawn form civilian areas. [The Army operation in Sindh province was launched against dacoits, kidnappers, car lifters and other criminals on 28th May, 1992. Contrary to their declared objectives, the Army started action against MQM and entered Karachi with heavy contingents along with Haqiqi who had earlier been expelled from MQM on charges of criminal activities and corruption…Chief of the Army Staff, late General Asif Nawaz, is on record to have wished MQM to break into several factions like Muslim League. This statement alone clearly proves the political motivation of operation clean up. The present Prime Minister in her last address to the participants of National Defence College, Rawalpindi on 16th March, 1994 emphasised the need to break the vote bank of MQM…]

  2. Mohajir representation in the National and Provincial assemblies and the Senate is well below their actual population. To ensure proportionate representation of Mohajirs, the overdue census be conducted under an impartial authority. The electoral boundaries in Sindh province be also revised.

  3. Mohajirs constitute about 50% of Sindh’s population but their share in the Federal and Provincial services is negligible. The urban quota in federal and provincial services needs to be enhanced from 7.6% to 9% as from 40% to 50% respectively on the strength of their population. The factual position is that the representation of Mohajirs in federal and provincial services is only 1% and 15% respectively. To meet the deficiency of 8.5% at federal level and 35% on provincial level, special recruitment for induction of Mohajirs be made on emergency basis and due share of Mohajirs in the services be maintained.

  4. The spirit of democracy demands that all sections of population are represented in the government. Therefore the position of the Governor and Chief Minister of Sindh be shared in rotation by Mohajirs and Sindhis. [It was agreed in 1972 between late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Mohajir elders that in the presence of a Sindhi Chief Minister a Mohajir will always be made the Governor of the Province, but this agreement has not been fully adhered to.]

  5. The Urban areas of Sindh should receive proportionate share of the Federal and Provincial funds for development.

  6. All arbitrary administrative actions taken to suppress and subjugate Mohajirs during the last two years be reversed. This particularly refers to bifurcation of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, creation of Malir District and of Lyari Development Authority.

  7. The repatriation of stranded Pakistanis from Bangladesh to Pakistan be carried out without further delay.

  8. Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Hyderbad Municipal Corporation and other Municipal bodies be made autonomous to govern their affairs freely. Similarly till elections of local bodies are held, the arbitrarily superseded elected local bodies restored forthwith. [Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) have never been entrusted with full powers to run their affairs freely. Sindh government’s interference in their affairs has become a daily routine for political gains.]

  9. All employees arbitrarily sacked or removed from Federal, Provincial and semi-government services since June 1992 and those sacked from Pakistan Steel Mills be reinstated. [During Operation Clean Up several thousand Mohajirs were sacked from government and semi-government organisations. Prior to this about 6000 had also been dismissed from Pakistan Steel Mills. Their only crime was that they were Mohajirs.]

  10. During the last year thousands of MQM workers, leaders and elected representatives were killed, kidnapped, arrested, tortured and maimed. Their properties were looted and burnt under State patronage. Suitable compensation be given to all those who suffered.

  11. Billions of rupees extorted by the personnel of the law enforcement agencies particularly FIT and police as bribes from innocent Mohajirs be recovered and returned to the victims. During rains household valuables and jewelry were looted by the personnel of the law enforcement agencies. The culprits involved be taken to task through inquiry by an independent commission and losses be indemnified.

  12. Large number of Mohajirs were murdered in the custody of Army, other law enforcement agencies and by their sponsored terrorist group Haqiqi. The latest example of Mohajir genocide is the cold-blooded murder of five young men in Sukkur by the law enforcement agencies. A commission of Supreme Court and High Court judges be constituted to investigate these heinous crimes with the power to punish the culprits.

  13. All cases instituted or re-opened against MQM leaders, members of Senate and Assemblies, workers and sympathisers are false, fabricated and politically motivated. These cases be withdrawn unconditionally. [Withdrawal of such cases, and commutation of sentences of habitual criminals. Even in her present tenure she has withdrawn thousands of cases registered against her party workers.]

  14. Representation of Mohajirs in Sindh Police is negligible; therefore, recruitment of Mohajirs in Sindh Police be made on emergency basis to make it proportionate according to their population ratio.

  15. Educational institutions of interior of Sindh have been made inaccessible for Mohajir students due to violence and armed attacks in those campuses. At the same time Mohajir students were being denied admission in professional educational institutions in the urban areas mainly because of fake domicile and permanent residence certificates. These malpractices need to be stopped.

  16. Massacre of Mohajirs has continued form time to time in Sindh, the southern province of Pakistan. Thousands of Mohajir men, women and children have been killed and injured, while women treated degradingly. Large number of houses have been looted and set ablaze. A high level commission of Supreme Court and High Court judges be constituted to identify those responsible for massacre so that culprits may be punished.

  17. MQM leaders, elected members and workers who are in various jails of Sindh, are in fact political prisoners and should be given "B" class as envisaged by Jail Manual.

  18. Constitutional and Democratic Rights of Mohajir Qoumi Movement (MQM) of freely participating in the political activities are being usurped due to high-handedness and machination of the government and the law enforcement agencies.

Central office of MQM known as "NINE ZERO" has been raided over fifty times during the ongoing operation clean up, properties and equipment worth over 30 million rupees have been looted and destroyed. All telephone/fax/mobile phones of the Central Office of MQM have been disconnected without justification. Over 500 telephones of MQM leaders, elected members and workers are also disconnected by the government. Political victimisation be stopped against MQM, undeclared ban be lifted, MQM be allowed to participate fully and freely, in the political activities, its telephone lines be restored and full compensation be paid for loss of properties and equipment.

 

 

 

 

 
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