Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain on Monday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri must show patience and seriousness and adopt the principle of ‘give and take’ and restart the dialogue process with the government immediately.
“Empowering common people, eradication of feudal and dynastic rule, Bringing back the money looted from the national exchequer, establishing the local government system, creation of new administrative units for better administration or the creation of new provinces, implementing a uniform education system in the country, giving equal rights to women, eradicating child labour, giving labourers and farmers their due rights, improving the healthcare system in government hospitals, improving the judicial system so that poor may also get justice from the Supreme Court, are the demands which cannot be opposed,” Altaf Hussain said.
He said that people were moving from middle class to working class group rapidly.
Giving his views regarding establishment of more provinces, he said “this is an age of decentralization. Keeping in view the rapidly-growing population we need more provinces or administrative units.”
He said India had seven provinces when it got independence. “now India has 36 provinces. In the same way Afghanistan has 34 provinces. Number of provinces in Iran has reached 31. Turkey has 81 provinces. Sri Lanka which is a small country has 9 provinces. Nepal has five provinces. Bhutan which has a population of seven lakh has nine provinces. Unfortunately, Pakistan has only four provinces,” Altaf Hussain said.
The MQM chief said that the situation demanded that we should make at least 20 provinces keeping in view of the growing population for serving the people and devolving power to grassroots.
