KARACHI. Feb 1: The ethnicbased Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM). target of a crack down during the rule of ousted Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto, is expected to emerge with flying colours from Mondays elections, reports AFP.

The MQM has fielded 51 National Assembly and 76 provincial assembly candidates country wide in the coming elections.

"The kite will fly high in the skies." predicted MQM leader Farooq Sattar, referring to the party's official election symbol.

MQM claims to present millions of Muslim Urdu-speaking immigrants frpm India, a community which fame to Pakistan after the partition of the sub-continent in 1947. They live in Karachi and other cities In southern Sindh province.

The party which boycotted polls for the Federal Assembly won by Benazir's Pakistan People s Party (PPP) in 1993, has been attracting large crowds to its campaign rallies for the coming ballot.

"It seems their electoral strength remains intact despite the difficult period they have been through." said Anwar Sen Roy. editor of the local daily Public.

The MQM was accused by

Benazir of committing terrorism and violence in Karachi during her three-year rule, which ended last November by presidential decree amid charges of corruption.

The ethnic-based party, which is generally considered the second major political force in Sindh after the PPP. accused her government of discrimination. The native majority in Sindh province speak Sindhi.

Altaf Hussain, who has been living abroad in self-imposed exile since 1992, leads the party from London, making dally telephone calls to his followers.

'Those who wanted to eliminate MQM in a four-year operation can see that it cannot be eliminated as it is a party of op-Rressed people with a cause," ussain said recently.

With its stronghold in this city wracked by violence the MQM has survived both Benazir's reign in power from 1993 until her ouster and the rule of the previous Pakistani Muslim League (PML) government under Nawaz Sharif.

Both the PML and then the PPP launched campaigns against violence in Karachi, chiefly targeting the MQM. Unrest during the nearly five-year period left and estimated 2.000 people dead.