The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders are hopeful that the Karachi-based party would manage to get a large number of votes on February 8 when the country would vote for a new government.

“The people of Karachi have announced their decision,” Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said at the party’s rally in Karachi’s Jinnah Ground on Sunday.

A large number of supporters had gathered for the event. Roads leading to the city’s Numaish area were reported to be jammed in the evening as workers in public buses were seen going for the rally.

The MQM-P would be up against PPP, PTI, JI, and TLP in the economic hub of Pakistan next month. The PML-N, which seems to be a juggernaut in polls, has sought MQM-P support on some national assembly and provincial assembly seats.

“It was promised that the decision will not come on February 8, but on January 21. This decision has been announced by the people of Karachi. Today, the results of February 8 have been announced,” Siddiqui said and vowed to save the country.

Over the past many years, the MQM-P has managed to ally with every government in the Centre.

Meanwhile, former MNA Farooq Sattar while looking at the rally said that the people have announced their decision in favour of the party.

He reiterated that the coastal city was deprived of gas utility despite being contributing a major share in the total income tax collection of the FBR.

“The MQM-P has a tradition of not playing five-day Test matches but gets free early by playing T20 matches. The people of Karachi won this match today and started the political change in Sindh,” Sattar said.

He claimed that his party would also make government in Sindh villages, saying that such a large gathering of people was a message for the people of Larkana, Nawabshah, Jacobabad, Moro, and Sukku that soon “they would be relieved.” Sattar was apparently speaking about the PPP ruling in rural areas of the province for so many years.

Former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal took a dig at the PPP chairman, saying that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari cannot become prime minister without the support of MQM-P.

“Mr Bilawal, without MQM, even your elders could never become the prime minister, so how will you become? We are against you as you have not given us justice,” he added.