MQM seeks US help to protect Muhajirs in Pakistan

Washington D.C. [United States], December 24 (ANI): Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has sought the intervention of the United States president Donald Trump's administration into alleged human rights violations against the Muhajir community in the country.

As part of the series of demonstrations across America, the U.S. wing of the MQM staged a protest in front of the White House and outside the Pakistan Embassy in Washington D.C. that was attended by the party workers and the Muhajir community members living in the U.S.

Demonstrators held banners, placards and flags, urging the Pakistani administration to uphold the basic principles of freedom of speech and to allow citizens to live their lives as per their free will.

The protesters called the Pakistan Army generals "war criminals" and shouted anti-Pakistan slogans. They also claimed that thousands of innocent people of their community have been killed in Pakistan over the last three decades and several thousand have been held in illegal captivity without a trial by the Pakistani administration and particularly by the ISI.

Supporters also alleged that Pakistan and particularly its intelligence agency, ISI, have failed to upheld and provide justice to 70 million Muhajirs residing in Karachi and urban Sindh.

The MQM mainly represents Urdu speaking ethnic Muhajirs, who migrated to Pakistan from India during the partition in 1947.

The MQM emerged as a largely ethnic party in the 1980s. It has a political dominance in the southern Sindh province's urban areas - notably in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur, where a large number of Urdu-speaking people reside.

"Today, we are here for the Muhajirs' cause. The Muhajirs are the people who migrated from India to Pakistan. The way we get treated is not same as compared to other ethnic backgrounds in Pakistan. So, we are protesting here to make our voices heard," said protester Faisal Usmani.

"People are missing and we believe that the establishment has a big role in it. We are not accepted as Pakistanis. The new generation of Muhajirs is still considered to be Indians. We are given certificates that we are not patriots," he added.

"I'm very hopeful with Donald Trump administration more than even any previous administration because Trump is very bold and straight-forward, he has warned Pakistan several times that it should stop harbouring terrorists and I'm supporting that warning. It is the truth and a fact that Pakistan's establishment is harbouring terrorists. They should stop it by now. It is not only hurting Pakstan, its hurting peace of the world", said Sayed Hafiz ul Haq Rizvi, a protester.

He urged Trump to make all efforts to stop Pakistan from harbouring terrorists.

Another protester named Fatima Khan said that the protest is being organised against the human right violations being done by the government of Pakistan against the Muhajirs.

"We have gathered here in front of White House to raise our voice against the atrocities on Muhajirs in Pakistan. Our demand from the Trump administration is to play their role in stopping the genocide of Muhajirs in Pakistan. More than 22000 Muhajirs have been killed by Pakstan army since 1992 in Karachi in military operations which is still going on, thousands of our workers have been missing," said Imran Hussain, media head of MQM in the USA. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI