Kamal’s allegations are serious

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan termed the allegations of Kamal Mustafa against Altaf Hussain as rhetoric and asked him to come up with substantial evidence to corroborate his claims. Addressing a press conference he said that Kamal did not say anything new, and that it was not necessary to form judicial commission every time somebody made allegations. Chaudhry Nisar Ali khan is a man of substance and upright person; therefore downplaying Mustafa Kamal’s allegations against Altaf Hussain is not understandable. Kamal Mustafa may not have said anything new, but he has referred to the statements of London-based MQM leaders Muhammad Anwar and Tariq Mir to the London Metropolitan police, which is enough evidence to put MQM head honcho Altaf Hussain in the dock.
We wish to remind Ch. Nisar that while addressing a press conference in August 2015, he had said: “Purpose of MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s speech on Saturday night was to defame Pakistan as well as its institutions. A legal reference would be served to the UK government and Metropolitan Police soon. The speech from MQM’s London office is an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty.” Addressing the 19th worker’s convention in Dallas, Altaf Hussain asked MQM activists to approach the United Nations and NATO headquarters in the United States to send forces to stop human rights abuses against the muhajir community. He had said: “India is a coward country because if it had any dignity, it would not let blood of Muhajirs spill on Pakistani soil.”
Earlier on 30th July, in a letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon by the MQM’s International Secretariat alleged that their workers were being mistreated during the current operation being conducted in Karachi. The letter specifically mentioned the raid conducted on MQM’s headquarters on the night of July 17 when two activists were arrested, and the subsequent arrest of Qamar Mansoor, a member of the party’s Rabita Committee. Altaf has had a penchant for delivering hate speeches; therefore the government should have taken up the matter with the British government. After 11 May 2013 elections, Altaf Hussain had also exhorted the establishment to separate Karachi and Hyderabad from the country. He warned: “If you don’t stop playing with fire, it would burn down all of Pakistan”.
He had threatened that a call to that effect would be issued by him; yet the MQM claimed to be a non-violent democratic party that believed in Pakistan. In fact, there was nothing democratic about these naked threats of violence and a threat of secession. He has had the habit of making incendiary speeches; at times inviting patriotic generals to take over, ridiculing the Supreme Court, ordering the shutting down of Pakistan’s commercial hub from distant shores, and warning of bloodshed on the streets of Karachi. The MQM leaders claim that 10 million Urdu-speaking – descendents of those who had migrated from India – live in Karachi. The figure is exaggerated as they include Memon, Bohris, Agha khanis and other minorities in their clan to show absolute majority.
On the other hand, ANP claims Pushtun population is around 5 million and Pujabi population is also said to be around 5 million. Against this backdrop, any war between them will give no decisive victory to any side, and at the best it may end up in a pyrrhic victory, which too may not be sustainable for long. Either turf wars or sheer politics of power and pelf is consuming all their time and energy, while the country is slipping deeper into morass intractably. After 18th amendment, irritants between the provinces have been removed, and relations between the provinces and federation are reasonably good. However, the MQM has not weaned of parochialism. It has been at loggerheads with people of all the provinces.
Altaf Hussain should do a bit of introspection whether he is doing any service to the descendents of those who had waged a struggle under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam for separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. He has to realize that Karachi is a port city, and like elsewhere in the world, workers from all regions and areas of the country go there to eke out living. Hence; it is not only home for Urdu speaking people; it is home to Punjabis, Balochs, Sindhis, Pushtuns, Memons, Bohries and other ethnic groups as well. Karachi is an economic hub, and peace has to be maintained at all costs. Peace is also an indispensable condition for successful completion of China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which will help improve the living conditions of the people.