Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) convenor Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui threatened on Sunday that his party will take to the streets if its demand of delimitation of local government constituencies in Karachi and Hyderabad was not accepted before January 15.

“MQM-P is fully ready for local body elections but the elections should be transparent, the MQM leader said while addressing a press conference in Karachi.

Siddiqui said the constituencies of Karachi and Hyderabad were not corrected in the past. “If the constituencies will not be based on population, how can the election be declared transparent”, he questioned.

He said that the Supreme Court also said that MQM’s demands for delimitations were legitimate and also directed to address the objections of the MQM-P.

He demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to complete new delimitation before the local government (LG) polls in Karachi and Hyderabad scheduled for January 15.

Siddiqui said that MQM-P and the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) signed an agreement to address Sindh issues, adding that the PPP central leadership had accepted all demands of the MQM-P.

“For stopping the pre-poll rigging, we will take to the streets and protest. If this situation remains unchanged, we will decide whether to stay in alliance with the incumbent government or choose to contest elections independently.”

Earlier in the day the MQM-P Rabita Committee held a meeting and decided to protest in the form of a rally if its demand for delimitation was not accepted.

During the meeting, MQM leaders expressed their displeasure over the statement of foreign minister and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for holding the polls with delimitations.

Earlier, Bilawal, during a meeting with the party candidates at the CM House in Karachi, said the LG polls would be held on their scheduled date as people were fed up with repeated postponements.