Re: Unplugged With Guppies — Sa1eem
Sa1eem bhai, you are ma'shaAllah an engineer and PhD. Scholars and scientists do not base their arguments on perceptions but on realities and evidence.
There is more than sufficient evidence regarding MQM being involved in criminal activities and is not a 'perception' only. The evidence regarding bhatta khori is HUGE, not trivial. It is true that most members of PPP fund their politics through their landholdings and PML(N) through industries and businesses (later reaping returns on that investment through corruption) but being "representative of working middle-class", MQM cannot really claim they fund their activities through donations only. I would say the cost of millions of posters of Altaf Bhai pasted around Karachi alone require mammoth funding. There are also sufficient neutral narratives and studies describing the party being involved in violent and militant activities.
You described perception and image of MQM as 'tarnished'. I would say there is a lot of truth to that image. A simple empirical evidence is how Karachi starts burning as soon as something happens in our political arena that MQM is not comfortable with. I don't think this image can be improved through propaganda only, as you suggested.
First of all, you should know that I was born in Karachi and many from the family are living in Karachi since before partition. I have 1000s ... literally 1000s of relatives and friends who live in Karachi and I also know many others working class Karachiets who are neither relatives nor friends. Many I know were once supporter of JI (and many still are). Few were once supporter of PPP too.
Now, is it not surprising that I came across none (literally ‘NONE’) from amongst those I know personally who complained that MQM takes Bhatta. Whereas, I came across many (rather most I met) who appreciated the work MQM did for the city. I also know many who benefitted from works MQM did in the city, especially poor and vulnerable.
Once I raised the issue with my brother who moved from Canada to Karachi and considers that Pakistani politics stink. According to him, most Pakistanis outside Karachi are so shameless that they knowingly give votes to same people who rape, abuse, maltreat, degrade, and loot them, but their votes fall to these thugs only because they consider them as from their Bradari.
Coming to issue, according to my Brother, every year before Eid-ul-Fitar MQM people come asking for Fitra (they also have receipt that they give for collection). My brother said he gave them Rs 5000, and they had no change, so my brother told them to return the remaining and they agreed. In few hours they returned with change and handed it over to my brother (each and every rupee they had to return). On Eid-ul-Azha they come to collect skin. Even though my brother does not support MQM or any party, he thinks that MQM has greatly improved the condition of life in Karachi and thus he occasionally gives them Chanda (donation) voluntarily as appreciation ... without anyone asking him.
If you consider that Bhatta then that is OK, if you consider that as genuine collection then that is fine too. Unfortunately, many in Karachi even complain about such collections considering it forced collection, but do not talk about all facilities that they got provided by party. Many poor get controlled price items during Ramadan, help with food every month, free clothing and free medical facilities.
One example (that you can see on internet): To tackle traffic problem from North Karachi to Kemari (Lyari area) MQM district government started Lyari fly-over. One way of the fly-over (from North Karachi towards city on eastern side of Lyari River) got completed and other (from city towards North Karachi on western side of Lyari River) was on verge of completion before district government got abolished. Now it is over 4 years and still that uncompleted part of fly-over is where it was. If you want to see that, you can see the state of the fly-over on google map ... that would show the state the work got stopped. Thus journey time from North Karachi to Tower is ~20 minutes but return journey takes over an hour because return section of fly-over is not completed.
Fact is that, I would prefer to give donation (or even Bhatta) to a party that serves then pay tax to government that do not provide anything in return. Unfortunately, Karachi is paying billions of ‘Jagga tax’ to Pakistan government that do not provide anything in return other than discrimination, abuses, humiliation, deprivation, joblessness, anarchy, and lawlessness.
I know that many big businessmen are forced to pay Bhatta even today. But such Bhatta is not necessarily got collected by MQM, rather it got collected by many others who give nothing to the city other than anarchy and misery.
Nevertheless, at time when party did not used to get enough voluntary donations, they must be collecting Bhatta from those who had means (rich businessmen), but then they provided the goods in return ... and that was ‘hard and honest work’ when in government with little or no corruption. Personally, I would prefer such Bhatta (if enough donations is not available) over getting corrupt people in power spending their own money for contesting election but doing nothing when in power other than mismanagement, exploitation, abuses, loot and plunder.
These days, what I know, many businessmen knowing and appreciating work done by MQM in city, give large donations to MQM voluntarily. That is the reason MQM with huge access fund in their kitty started KKF (Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation), that helps and serves needy people all over Pakistan, especially during calamities.