Ridiculous questions by returning officers: QET Altaf Hussain MQM Full Press Conference
- 11 years ago
The Founder and Leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has said ridiculous questions being asked by the Returning Officers is giving rise to doubts in the minds of the people whether elections would be held at all. He expressed strong reservations on the manner in which scrutiny of nomination papers was being done.
Mr Hussain said it was for the first time that a democratic government had completed its constitutional term and the entire world was looking at Pakistan. He said that the Election Commission had every right to hold the scrutiny of the nomination forms of candidates but regretted that it was not being done in a serious manner.
He said that the Returning Officers were asking questions of personal nature and peeping into the private lives of candidates which were highly inappropriate. He said that even women were not being spared. “Do they want to discourage women from taking part in elections?”
He suggested that political parties should form a committee consisting of people having adequate knowledge of Islamic history and jurisprudence in order to check the knowledge of the returning officers about Islam.
He said it was unfortunate that the nomination form a prominent columnist was rejected on the basis of his articles about the ideology of Pakistan. “The Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Parliament should expound the real meaning of the ideology of Pakistan as it was very vague and not clearly defined anywhere.”
He asked what the ideology of Pakistan really was and who had given it. He asked if the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had himself written somewhere or spoken about the ideology of Pakistan or not?
Mr Hussain said that every Muslim believes that sovereignty belongs to Allah alone and Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is the last and the final Prophet of Allah. “The candidate whose papers have been rejected on the basis of his critical articles also believes in the sovereignty of Allah and the finality of the Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).”
Mr Hussain said it was for the first time that a democratic government had completed its constitutional term and the entire world was looking at Pakistan. He said that the Election Commission had every right to hold the scrutiny of the nomination forms of candidates but regretted that it was not being done in a serious manner.
He said that the Returning Officers were asking questions of personal nature and peeping into the private lives of candidates which were highly inappropriate. He said that even women were not being spared. “Do they want to discourage women from taking part in elections?”
He suggested that political parties should form a committee consisting of people having adequate knowledge of Islamic history and jurisprudence in order to check the knowledge of the returning officers about Islam.
He said it was unfortunate that the nomination form a prominent columnist was rejected on the basis of his articles about the ideology of Pakistan. “The Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Parliament should expound the real meaning of the ideology of Pakistan as it was very vague and not clearly defined anywhere.”
He asked what the ideology of Pakistan really was and who had given it. He asked if the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had himself written somewhere or spoken about the ideology of Pakistan or not?
Mr Hussain said that every Muslim believes that sovereignty belongs to Allah alone and Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is the last and the final Prophet of Allah. “The candidate whose papers have been rejected on the basis of his critical articles also believes in the sovereignty of Allah and the finality of the Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).”