KARACHI: MQM leader Altaf Hussain
Friday has revealed that his life is
threatened by anti-Pakistan and anti-
MQM elements.
Addressing
a 3-and-a-half hour long video conference and a huge crowd of his
supporters he said that MQM was not against any community living in the
mega city and believed in Pakistan and its future. “We have suffered
worst times during 1992 army operation and even then we raised slogans
of Pakistan Zindabad,” he said.
This is clear evidence that MQM
is a patriotic party and is not under influence of any agency or
power,” said Altaf who was speaking apparently in an effort to control
the damage caused by the MQM critics, especially the former home
minister of Sindh Zulfiqar Mirza.
He said that there were various conspiracies at work that wanted to harm Pakistan.
During
the address, Altaf Hussain divulged into a number of issues including
political scenario of the country, law and order situation in the
country especially Karachi, the on-going operation against miscreants
in the mega city which he said was actually directed against MQM, suo
motu taken by Chief Justice of Pakistan over Karachi situation and an
international conspiracy aimed at breaking Pakistan.
However,
major part of Altaf Hussain’s tirade was focussed against media who
according to Altaf Hussain was promoting hooliganism and giving ‘undue’
coverage to MQM’s opponents. Altaf Hussain commiserated with people who
had lost their loved ones during the violence that has engulfed
Karachi.
He said that a number of MQM workers have been
targeted in Karachi and that many of them had been subjected to torture
before being murdered. Altaf Hussain said that his party workers had
been ruthlessly killed. Altaf Hussain also accused the People’s Aman
Committee of being involved in the gang warfare taking place in Lyari
and of being responsible for target killings in Karachi.
The
MQM chief said that he is not the enemy of Pashtuns and paid tributes
to political figures such as Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. He said that the
MQM had always stood against feudalism in Pakistan and that he opposed
the exploitation of the resources of the country.
Altaf Hussain
also said that anti-state elements want to dismember Pakistan and
accused ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan of being on the payroll of the
Americans and that he had been given millions of dollars by the United
States to win elections.
MQM leader Altaf Hussain also accused
the ANP of misleading its workers in Karachi. He said that the PPP and
PML-N have both failed to live up to the Charter of Democracy agreement
that was signed between the two political parties.
The MQM
chief also said that former prime minister and PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif
withdrew forces from Kargil after being told to do so by the United
States. Accusing the present Awami National Party (ANP) leadership of
misguiding Pakhtuns, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain
said that during the 2008 elections ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan was
provided several million dollars by the US. “If I was against Pakhtuns
why they supported MQM across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it (MQM)
announced day of mourning” Altaf said.
The MQM Chief is holding
a video conference in which he said innocent people were tortured and
slaughtered by terrorists in the past days. “If I was not the chief of
my party I would have been killed or taken someone’s life” he said
during his address.
He added that the history of Pakistan which
was being taught was false and the country was a far cry from the
vision of Jinnah who was a secularist and spoke of equality for all.
Without mentioning any names Atlaf Hussain criticized the act of
Zulfiqar Mirza who had placed the Quran on his head during his news
conference. Altaf Hussain said the Quran was for reciting and obtaining
knowledge. Altaf Hussain said statements made by TV anchorpersons that
they would not let the MQM remain in sole power in Karachi were an act
of dictatorship. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain
said foreign forces wanted to break Pakistan, adding that his party is
a hurdle between the disintegration of the country. During his first
video press conference from party’s London-based secretariat, he said,
“I may be killed because I am a hurdle in plans of dividing Pakistan.”
He also showed a map of the region in which Pakistan was divided. He
also accused the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for paying Haqiqi members to fire
on an MQM rally during May 12 and fueling the violence which took place
in Karachi on that day. He demanded that action be taken against the
JI’s militant wing ‘Thunder Squad’. He added that 16 MQM workers were
killed while 65 were injured on May 12.
On the Charter of
Democracy (COD) Altaf said that both the PPP and Nawaz Sharif had
failed to implement it, and called it a document of false promises. The
MQM Chief also mentioned the Chief Justice stating that his court had
issued several orders but they were not implemented. “If you make a
decision against the MQM than it might be implemented” he said. He said
the history of Pakistan which was being taught at schools was false and
fabricated and quite different from the vision of Jinnah who wanted a
secular free and religiously moderate Pakistan. The MQM chief alleged
that the Awami National Party chief, Asfandyar Wali had received
millions of dollars from the US to help win the 2008 elections. Though,
he conceded that he lacked concrete proof to back his claim. On this
occasion, he held up a purported leaked CIA map which details a vision
of the Middle East with a divided Pakistan. Hussain also quoted
Jinnah’s August 11 speech saying that Jinnah was a secular and
progressive, and an honest man. He said that Jinnah had called for a
Pakistan where everyone would have equal rights. Hussain said that much
of the history of Pakistan taught in our schools was twisted. MQM chief
Altaf Hussain is currently addressing a televised press conference live
from London. He has started the address with a recitation of verses
from the Holy Quran. Directs salutations to the missing and victims of
torture and target killings in recent days.
Earlier, in the
day, he had issued a written statement in which he claimed that there
were foreign agencies which were trying to assassinate him. Altaf
Hussain had spent much of last week in the hospital, giving rise to
rumours that he had been arrested for attempting to flee to South
Africa. Online