KARACHI: Chairman of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H), Afaq Ahmed, has alleged that a conspiracy is underway to stoke ethnic tensions in Karachi, using a recent incident in the UP Mor area as a pretext to malign his party and disrupt its growing support.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Afaq Ahmed claimed that a motorcycle was deliberately placed under a dumper truck in UP Mor, North Karachi, to film a video that would falsely depict ethnic violence. The footage, which later went viral, showed a high-speed dumper colliding with multiple motorcyclists, injuring at least three people. In its aftermath, widespread protests erupted, and several heavy vehicles — including dumpers, a truck, and a water tanker — were set ablaze in different parts of the city.
Ahmed accused unknown individuals of orchestrating the incident, saying those responsible for torching vehicles were not arrested, while instead, several innocent citizens and MQM-H workers were detained. “Efforts are being made to give an ethnic colour to our movement,” he said, suggesting that the public's increasing support for MQM-H has triggered a reactionary alliance between the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
He reiterated that his party had called for a peaceful protest to highlight long-standing civic and systemic issues faced by Karachi’s residents — regardless of ethnic background — including poor traffic management, lack of educational facilities, and discriminatory hiring in public sector jobs. “Dumpers don’t identify people by ethnicity,” Ahmed remarked, while urging the authorities to take action against what he called the “dumper mafia.”
Criticising the enforcement of Section 144 in Karachi’s District Central, he claimed the move was a direct response to MQM-H’s successful mobilization and peaceful demonstrations. “Other political workers gather freely, but our protests are treated as a threat,” he said, condemning what he described as selective enforcement of law and suppression of dissent.
Ahmed also lashed out at the MQM leadership, accusing them of remaining silent on the PPP’s governance failures. He questioned why MQM-H leaders were being booked for merely planning protests, while similar statements by MQM figures went unchecked.
He asserted that MQM-H is not promoting ethnic division, adding that recent events were being twisted to portray his party as a disruptive force. “We only want the government to hear our voice. Our supporters carried white flags as a sign of peace,” he emphasized.
Afaq Ahmed concluded by calling for the arrest of those behind the UP Mor incident and vowed to continue his struggle for Karachi’s rights. He also announced plans to strengthen MQM-H’s organizational structure in District Central to counter what he termed deliberate political marginalization.
