Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Wednesday urged Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) not to "punish" the people of Pakistan for an action carried out in London by the British government. His remarks came as thousands of MQM workers continued to stage a sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi in Karachi.
Imran said the MQM should hold protests in the United Kingdom instead of Karachi. He said the UK had arrested one of its citizens on charges of money-laundering and that it made no sense for the MQM to stage its protests in Karachi. The PTI chief said he fully understood "the anguish of the MQM workers" but asserted that it was "absolutely unjustified for the MQM to bring Karachi to a standstill and disrupt the lives of the people" of the city when it is the British authorities who have taken legal action against a British citizen.
He further said the MQM had no reason to paralyse day to day life in Karachi, adding that the Sindh government should not take part in MQM's protests and should instead work on managing the situation. He said the Sindh government should focus on "ensuring safety of the citizens of Karachi" and making certain that "their lives and the businesses of the city are not brought to a standstill". Imran added that it was "a mockery of governance" that the Sindh government had joined the MQM's protest. The PTI chief, however, expressed solidarity with the MQM's supporters, saying he fully understands their anguish.