Uzair Sadiq Bilal

Scenario 1: 5 Sunni Tehreek Leaders dead in attack on Mosque: Sunni Tehreek responds At least 25 people were killed in a suicide attack on a mosque in Model Town on Thursday evening. “So far 20 people were killed, including 20 civilians and 5 senior leaders of the Sunni Tahreek Party,” Inspector General Police Sindh A.D. Khawaja said. “Many of the wounded are in critical condition." Medical Superintendant Dr Moinuddin Siddiqui of Civil Hospital confirmed that the 5 Sunni Tehreek leaders could not survive the injuries and succumbed to their deaths.” The police said that a scuffle broke out on the day of the blast between the activists of the banned outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Sunni Tehreek (ST) over the mosque being built in Model Town No. 5. Officials say the mosque, Jama Masjid Ummul Qura, belongs to the Barelvi organization, Sunni Tehreek and was held by the Ahle Hadith organisation, Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Dozens of people, including Sunni Tehreek workers, arrived at the construction site after Friday prayers and tried to stop the work and take possession of the mosque, before thirty-four-year-old Mohsin, said to be the son of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa masjid committee president, blew himself up, killing many. Members of the Tehreek took to the streets in a protest, linking the event to that of the Nishtar Park blast in April 2006, where Sultan Mahmood alias Saifullah, Mufti Zakir Hussain Siddiqui, Mohammad Amin alias Khalid Shaheen, and Rehmatullah, said to be associated with the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, were held for their alleged involvement in the act of terrorism against the Sunni Tehreek for sectarian differences. The Sunni Tehreek is now blaming the government of the day for the inordinate delay in the disposal of the Nishtar Park Case of 2007 as an obvious violation of the law, as Section 19 (7) of the Anti-terrorism Act 1997 says that on taking cognizance of a case the court shall proceed with the trial daily and shall decide it within seven days. And, in case of a delay, an application may be made to the administrative judge of the high court concerned for its expeditious disposal. “Not taking action in the past has given the terrorist parties a green card so that they may continue their acts of sectarian violence against us.” Said an ST correspondent. The MQM has endorsed this statement, saying that the law enforcement agencies have failed to take action in the past, leading to more unstoppable violence against political actors. The Police on the other hand believed that the attack may have been done by the ST itself, for a sympathy vote, or by MQM to weaken the hold of smaller parties in the area. The MQM also criticized the law enforcement agencies for not taking relevant action against militant groups operating in the city, which has led to only more malice days before the election. “This may potentially polarize results”, an official said. They also criticized law enforcement agencies for raiding party workers’ homes instead of taking action against banned militant groups, drawing a strong reaction from the Pakistan Rangers which called the allegation an attempt to ‘damage the ongoing operation for national security’. “The MQM, as Sunni Tehreek will testify, is not responsible for this attack. The attack on the mosque has been carried out by Jamat-ut-Dawaa, a banned outfit. Senior MQM leaders, speaking at a press conference at the party headquarters Nine Zero, condemned the recent killings of the Sunni Tehreek mosque and counted a number of MQM activists who were killed by ‘banned militant groups’ earlier in other parts of the city. “As if this was not enough, the law enforcement agencies too raid homes of our workers almost daily,” said senior MQM leader Haider Abbass Rizvi. “Why is only Karachi chosen for killings on sectarian grounds? It appears that militants are free and enjoy the license to kill. On the one hand our workers are being killed on sectarian grounds by banned outfits and on the other our workers are being arrested in the name of the operation.” Central leader of Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Abdul Rauf Siddiqi has said MQM has no objection to the ongoing rangers’ operation in Karachi to investigate the recent disturbances in the city, but being the largest stakeholder of the city, its grievances should be addressed. The Tehreek seconds these opinions and has now decided to maintain healthy relationships with the MQM as part of its crises plan nearing the election, which is the party with the largest number of seats in local government polls. “At this time we are without our leaders, and both, MQM and us, are being targeted for an attack carried out by a militant group. It is for our mutual benefit for us to work together against the weakening forces.” Said an ST correspondent. Scenario 2: Election polls results: MQM wins in Karachi, refuses to accept Sunni Tehreek’s proposal for coalition MQM is considered the major suspect behind the disturbance of Karachi peace but when it comes to ballot, Mutahida once again proved its strength and silenced many critics. NA-246, the seat vacated by Nabil Gabol, MQM candidate Kunwar Naveed Jamil once again got over 90, 000 votes and defeated PTI ticket holder Imran Ismael with big margin. In local government polls, MQM emerged the biggest party with largest number of seats and the district heads of three political parties including PPP, PTI and JI were defeated. “We are now led to think that it was not Jamat-ud-Dawa”, said a Sunni Tehreek official, “but MQM who polarized the city’s electoral environment by carrying the attack on our mosque, to play upon our sectarian differences with other parties and weaken our stand-hold. First they set us apart and now they’ve refused to accept our proposal to be part of a coalition. We are without our 5 senior leaders, we are weak and powerless and unable to retaliate. They’ve benefited from this and won largely. This is the worst result for us and we do not accept it.” The Sunni Tehreek, along with other the Karachi districts of three political parties including PPP, PTI and JI were defeated, have blamed MQM for massive rigging throughout elections, and pictures testifying to this have been circulating on the Sunni Tehreek’s social media platforms, as well as major newspapers. According to the Tehreek, armed goons attacked polling station in government school at Pehalwan Goth, Gulistan-e-Jauarh, Karachi, harassed polling staff and did the rigging (source 1.3). The workers of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) allegedly stuffed ballot boxes with duplicate votes for the MQM and threatened voters to give extra votes to the party. The voters who had already cast their votes were being handed extra “slips” by MQM workers to vote for the party, a witness said. (source 1.2). Source 1.1: Ummat News Source 1.2: Ummat News Source 1.3: Jang Now the Tehreek, along with a number district heads of three political parties including PPP, PTI and JI were defeated, having taken to the streets in massive protest, asking for a re-election in NA-122, NA-154, and NA-250, during which they are likely to reassess their options for future coalitions, should the results change after re-election.