Tag: Mustafa Kamal

  • Sharing is caring, electricity relief shouldn’t just be for Punjab: Mustafa Kamal

    Sharing is caring, electricity relief shouldn’t just be for Punjab: Mustafa Kamal

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Mustafa Kamal, while addressing a press conference in Karachi, criticized the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) led government for announcing electricity relief only for Punjab.

    “Relief on electricity bills should be provided nationwide instead of only for Punjab,” he said.

    Kamal also rejected the electricity bill relief, stating that the PML-N is not only a party representing Punjab but should also represent the entire country.

    “These IPPs have already earned billions of rupees through their services, and the government should engage in dialogue with both foreign and local electricity-producing companies about the current economic situation,” he added, commenting on Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

    Kamal emphasised that IPPs, which have become obsolete, should be discarded immediately.

  • ‘PPP pressurising PML-N to sideline MQM,’ alleged MQM’s Kamran Tessori audio leak sparks new debate

    ‘PPP pressurising PML-N to sideline MQM,’ alleged MQM’s Kamran Tessori audio leak sparks new debate

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is facing challenges in talks with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as another alleged audio of Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori goes viral on social media.

    Earlier, an audio clip went viral in which MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal revealed to the party’s Rabita Committee that PML-N “doesn’t want to talk to us”. He accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of trying to corner them.

    Kamal has confirmed that the audio is genuine.

    In the latest audio, Kamran Tessori can be heard saying that MQM-P is paying the cost of becoming part of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government.

    “We were part of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government when PML-N and the PPP were in opposition. We supported the PDM, which angered our voter,” Tessori said in the audio, which could not be independently verified.

    “MQM-P got seven seats despite all the hurdles [in 2018 elections] which was our vote bank. We didn’t get the vote today [in the 2024 polls]. The party is being offered one ministry [Information Technology] as part of government and they are bringing their own governor in Sindh as well.”

  • ‘Should embrace each other with all their hearts’: Sindh governor calls upon all MQM factions to unite for Karachi

    ‘Should embrace each other with all their hearts’: Sindh governor calls upon all MQM factions to unite for Karachi

    Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori has called upon all the factions of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to unite on a single platform to resolve the issues of Karachi.

    Talking to Shahzeb Khanzada on Geo News‘ show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Tessori said: “Being the governor of Sindh, I can only request my friends. I cannot force anyone. And I request them because Karachi is a friendly city for everyone but there is no one who is friendly to Karachi.”

    Tessori said that the city of lights had become a city of criminals. “I requested Mustafa Kamal when he visited the Governor’s House. My aim is to develop this city and to facilitate its residents,” he said on the show.

    “Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui is the leader; he leads the MQM and he will be leading the party in the future,” said Tessori, adding that he can’t play a political role but he will request the leaders of PSP, MQM and Farooq Sattar to join hands.

    “I requested my friends that rather than criticising each other they should become workers of this city and serve the people. Upon my request, Mustafa Kamal and Farooq Sattar have agreed. They also agreed on the leadership of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Neither Farooq Sattar nor Mustafa Kamal raised objections to Siddiqui’s leadership. They spoke respectfully. They respect Siddiqui,” the governor said.

    “I have no idea how quickly they will move to make a [unification] decision, but if it were to happen, it would have to be sustainable and based on the will of Karachi’s residents,” he asserted.

    Asking that all factions “embrace eachother with all their hearts”, the Governor said he had asked the other leaders to put aside their egos and work for the betterment of the city and its people.

    He said that he sees no intervention by institutions in political matters. “I took the initiative and there is no intervention of the establishment or institutions [in the unification of MQM factions].”

  • Clash between political parties kills one in Karachi

    Clash between political parties kills one in Karachi

    NA-240 by-elections were held in Karachi on Thursday (June 16). The seat had fallen vacant after the death of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MNA Iqbal Muhammad Ali in April. MQM-P’s Mohammad Abu Bakr won the seat yesterday. MQM-P had won the seat in the 2018 general elections with a huge margin but this time the contest was won just by a few votes. MQM-P candidate bagged 10,683 votes, while Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) candidate Shahzada Shahbaz ended up second with 10,618 votes.

    However, TLP rejected the results and decided to challenge the outcome in court.

    Violence during by-polls

    The by-polls in Karachi left at least one dead and several injured. The person who died belonged to Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP).

    According to media reports, three major parties —  MQM-P, TLP and PSP — were primarily involved in the violence, both as alleged perpetrators and victims.

    On Twitter, PSP accused TLP workers of firing at its party chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal. A bullet reportedly grazed Kamal.

    Talking to Dawn, MQM-P Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Khawaja Izharul Hassan alleged that his eight party workers were “brutally tortured” by PSP. He also alleged that PSP party members barged into polling stations and beat up polling staff.

    It was reported that during the violence, three bullets hit the Edhi Foundation ambulance. The ambulance was there to pick up the injured.

    Following the incident, a total of four cases have been registered at the Landhi police station and Korangi police station, reports Geo News.

    According to the First Information Report (FIR), Kamal entered a polling station in Landhi 6 accompanied by 50 to 60 men and created chaos.

    Moreover, the report stated that 400-500 people belonging to a political party entered a polling station all at once. The staff of the polling station was beaten up and election materials damaged. Subsequently, the police raided the polling station and took five men into custody.

    The situation was extremely tense till late at night when a heavy contingent of police and Rangers reached the area after the disruption.

    Election Commissioner takes notice

    Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja took a “serious notice” of the episode. He directed Sindh’s provincial election commissioner to ensure strict action and asked for a comprehensive report to be sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

    Similarly, Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah also took notice of the violence.

  • Hira Mani requests Mustafa Kamal to transform Karachi like Lahore, falls amidst live transmission

    Hira Mani requests Mustafa Kamal to transform Karachi like Lahore, falls amidst live transmission

    Hira Mani appeared on Geo’s Jashan e Cricket, and fell down while getting on stage, although she quickly managed to get up.

    When The Current reached out to the anchor and his team to find out what happened, Shahzad Iqbal said, “I asked her (Hira) if she was okay, and needed some help during the show. These kind of things happen on live television and she was a good sport about it”.

    The Kashf actress, was her humorous self on the show and played a game where she had to predict something for celebrities and famous personalities. When Mustafa Kamal’s picture popped up, Hira expressed her request for him to transform Karachi like Lahore.

    Elaborating on her point, she added that she wants Karachi’s roads and infrastructure to improve, Hira also wants the water crises in the city to be resolved at the earliest.

    Hira explained her Katrina Kaif comment by saying that she likes Bollywood superstar Katrina but the Dhoom 3 actress has used botox whereas Hira hasn’t.

  • ‘PPP trying to occupy Karachi’

    ‘PPP trying to occupy Karachi’

    Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Mustafa Kamal has claimed that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is trying to occupy Karachi, warning that if it did so, the people would take the Sindh government away from it as well.

    Addressing a protest amid heavy rain a day after the Sindh cabinet approved the creation of a seventh district in the city, Kamal said neither the “Sindh card” nor the “Muhajir card” would work anymore.

    “We will never allow our motherland, Sindh, to be divided and nor will we let anyone rip its heart, Karachi,” he stated.

    “The PPP is fanning ethnic hatred in the province, but we will thwart every conspiracy hatched by it or the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to create rifts between Sindhis and Muhajirs for their own political gains.”

    Kamal claimed that the PPP-led provincial government always made decisions on ethnic grounds, pointing to changes in National Assembly seats in the city following the census.

    ‘65% FUNDS USED IN OTHER PROVINCES GENERATED IN KARACHI’:

    Separately, The Express Tribune has quoted Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar as claiming that approximately 65 per cent of developmental funds used in other provinces are generated in Karachi but the port city remains neglected.

    Inaugurating a library and art gallery at Markaz-e-Islami in Aisha Manzil, he said that people of Karachi paid Rs1,100 to Rs1,200 in taxes, but received nothing in return.

    Akhtar maintained that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had spent all the funds at its disposal to facilitate the people. “We tried our best to carry out uplift works despite having limited resources.”