Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui’s Interview Transcripts from Awaz TV
Q. The MQM has become a significant coalition partner in the present government, what role is it playing in its part and what does it expect to gain from this government setup?
A: We had elections in Pakistan as you know, and MQM had a successful outcome from these elections. It is our responsibility now to represent the people who elected us and voted for us, so we hope to represent the people and have their grievances addressed by taking up their issues and concerns in the National and Provincial Assemblies through a democratic process, and we all know that MQM is the only democratically elected political party in Pakistan which represents the middle-class order, and the section of Pakistan the MQM currently represents has a liberal thought of mind and we believe that in order for a better Pakistan, leadership must emerge from the middle-class and not from the ranks of the feudal lords.
Q. There was recently a terrorist attack on a Shiite Mosque in Karachi, who do you think was responsible for this and what were they trying to achieve?
A. I feel that there are certain elements, which are trying very hard and have been for a very long time to portray Karachi, which is Pakistan’s largest city and it’s most liberal minded city, as a city of extremism and Islamic fundamentalism. Over 15 years ago, these same elements tried very hard to destabilize Karachi through sectarian and ethnic violence, however, I am proud to say that since the emergence of MQM, all these evil plans were foiled because MQM united the urban areas of Sindh under one platform but these certain elements are still trying their hardest to portray Karachi as an extremist city through their acts of terror. Now as far as who is behind these acts, well, I think it is well clear that there are certain religious parties who have ties to radical Islamic militant groups and these religious parties not only wreak havoc on the streets, but unfortunately they are also present in the National and Provincial Assemblies. I feel that it is not only MQM’s responsibility, but also the responsibility of other political parties, and especially Pakistan’s intelligence agencies to expose these people and make their evil designs transparent to the entire nation.
Q. At the moment, who are MQM’s Federal Ministers and what departments do they administer?
A. Currently the MQM has 2 Federal Ministers, Mr. Syed Safwanullah who is the Minister for Housing and Town Planning and Mr. Babar Ghauri, who is the Minister of Communications.
Q. Now you mentioned that there are certain elements who are trying to portray Karachi as a city of violence and extremism, and you mentioned that these elements must be exposed to the nation, what is MQM doing to expose these elements?
A. I don’t think anyone has exposed these people more than the MQM and I can say with much confidence that these extremists and jihadi elements do not even make up 5% of Karachi’s mammoth population. Now, since the emergence of the MQM over 15 years ago, these elements have miserably failed to bring about hatred and violence amongst the peace loving citizens of Karachi, which proves that Karachi is a very liberal minded city, it is a city that tolerates other religions, ethnic groups, and nationalities. I also feel that it is the media’s responsibility not to let these very small groups of terrorists portray Karachi as a violent and disturbed city, but rather the true picture of Karachi should be shown which is a very peace loving and tolerant city.
Q. The situation in Iraq is very dangerous as you know, having said that your party is an ally of the present government, so how does your party view the decision of Pakistan not sending it’s troops to Iraq?
A. The MQM has a very simple foreign policy stance, whether it be Kashmir, Palestine, or Iraq, and it is that the people of that land who are facing the injustices and oppression must decide their own fate and cannot have anything imposed on them. Now as far as Pakistan’s decision on not sending troops to Iraq, well, the MQM fully supported that decision and we totally agree with the government that until there is a United Nations mandate asking nations for their support militarily, Pakistan should not get involved.
Q. Speaking of the United Nations, there are many who claim that the United Nations is no longer an effective body and has become irrelevant in governing the world body, has it now come time for the Muslim states to form their own so called United Nations?
A. First of all, if it is true that the United Nations has become irrelevant, then it is a very shameful situation for the entire world. Now, before the Muslim countries decide to form their own United Nations, they must first see what powers they have and evaluate their positions before taking such steps. Also, it would be a very bad decision for the Muslim world to cut itself off from the rest of the world, it is very important that we preserve our identity and our religious beliefs, but to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world would not benefit us in any way, we must work together with the world community on all fronts.
Q. Now on one hand your party preaches democracy, and on the other hand your party has formed an alliance with a pro-military government, how does the MQM view this contradictory policy?
A. I will be the first one to say that the Army has always played a major role in Pakistani politics since the country’s creation over 50 years ago and the Army is still meddling in the country’s internal political affairs, now having said that one must realize that if a democratic political party like the MQM does not come forward and get involved in managing the country’s affairs, then the role of the Army would have become even more greater. We have now put the ball in their court, we have told them that the people have elected us to represent them, therefore, the role of the military must now be marginalized if not fully diminished. It is also worth mentioning that besides the MQM, all other major political parties in Pakistan have very strong links with the military which is one of the biggest reasons why there has never been true democracy flourishing in the country.
Q. At the moment, what is the MQM’s prime focus as far as projects and development go?
A. Education is a very key priority of the MQM at the moment. In order to help facilitate the citizens of Sindh, the overseas unit’s of the MQM particularly the USA units have affiliated Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan with Tipu Sultan University of Management Science currently under construction in Karachi, and we are trying our best to affiliate more colleges and universities with those in Sindh. As you know the Ministry of Communication is under MQM’s nominated minister so we are also trying our best to enhance Pakistan’s communication network into a modern state of the art system. There are also numerous developmental projects currently under way in Sindh, which will take shape very soon.
Q. There are numerous political parties in Pakistan and they all seem to only have a political side and not a social side, as far as the MQM goes, does MQM have a social sector?
A. Yes, indeed we have a very strong and well-known charitable wing known as the KKF (Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation) which provides free medical camps throughout Pakistan, we organize blood drives, donate medical equipments and supplies to the poor and needy, and we have the 2nd largest ambulance service in Pakistan next to Edhi Foundation, and I am proud to say that we work just as hard on our social services as we do on our political agenda. No other political party in Pakistan can claim this.
Yusra Khan: Khalid sahab, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview.
Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui: Thank you. You are welcome.