KARACHI, 4 December 2006 — The Muttaheda Qaumi Movement (MQM) strongly believes that the armed forces should not be a player in the power game and hence their role in the country’s politics should be over as soon as possible. The party is willing to join hands with all political parties for a comprehensive strategy in this regard, said MQM parliamentary leader Dr. Farooq Sattar.
“We want to bring to an end the military’s role in national politics and for this we are ready to cooperate with all political parties, including PPP, PML (Q) and PML (N),” Sattar said here late Saturday.
“If the top leadership of other parties pledge not to use back door channels to seek military’s help to come into power, the MQM would stand with them to oust military from politics permanently, said Sattar.
The ethnic Sindh-based party is of the view that problems of the middle class people cannot be solved until they are elected to national and provincial assemblies and get a chance to participate in the decision-making, he said.
Sattar claimed that the MQM will win considerable number of seats in the upcoming elections in Punjab province. “The MQM will break the system of traditional politics in Punjab which will force other parties also to give tickets to people from the middle class, not only to feudal lords and industrialists.”
