DUBAI: The MQM accusations against the FIA and Intelligence Bureau, both organisations totally under the control of President Asif Ali Zardari, that the British government had been fed with unfounded reports against the MQM, has exposed a new dimension of PPP-MQM relations and it is now obvious that the PPP has been using the UK government to pressurise Altaf Hussain to fall in line. These accusations, seen in the context of the statement of Altaf Hussain some days ago asking Karachiites to stock up rations for 30 days, which was followed immediately by intervention of the London government, including a call from the UK foreign secretary to MQM’s governor of Sindh, explain why the MQM chief suddenly started speaking English to apologise for his call and tried to control the damage caused by his remarks. Now it has been revealed that the UK government was not working on its own but it was Zardari’s intelligence outfits that were feeding London some cock and bull, or whatever, stories and these reports were used to pressurise Altaf Hussain, a British citizen, to change track fast so that the Zardari outfit in Pakistan was not disturbed. Whatever comes out of the so-called “inquiry” that has been ordered by President Zardari into the allegations of Altaf Hussain is not clear but it can be easily said that nothing will come out as no official of the FIA or IB can have the courage and guts to send reports against an ally of the PPP, which has tremendous political and nuisance value, to any foreign government. So what can be safely assumed is that these reports were sent with the specific authorisation of the PPP high-ups, specifically the president, as he controls all political matters. Now that Altaf has publicly complained and told the nation that the UK government had used these reports to pressurise him, Zardari is on the backfoot and trying to cover up the matter by ordering a probe which will go nowhere. REFERENCE: Altaf reveals real reasons for Karachi troubles Shaheen Sehbai Saturday, August 20, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8253&Cat=13
WikiLeaks & USA on MQM's Militancy.
URL: http://youtu.be/56K9qSLr-9U
Wikileaks on MQM under USA & UK Pressure on NRO.
URL: http://youtu.be/hB2Xaj-yVP0
MQM & Altaf Hussain Opposed American Intervention in Pakistan
URL: http://youtu.be/H1HYED0Rtto
Saturday, August 20, 2011, Ramzan Al Mubarak 19, 1432 A.H
WikiLeaks on MQM & Karachi Violence.
URL: http://youtu.be/ajn0MSPqsGA
Peace in Karachi Via Great Britain -1 (Bolta Pakistan - 4th Aug 2011)
http://youtu.be/WmaPxkmnqKs
KARACHI: The United Kingdom Under-secretary Foreign Affairs Alistair Burt telephoned Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad on Wednesday and discussed the law and order situation in Karachi. The present political situation of Pakistan and of Karachi, in particular, also came under discussion between the two. Burt lauded the efforts ofMQM chief Altaf Hussain in the restoration of peace in the metropolis. He gave an assurance that the UK was ready to help Pakistan in any way to achieve political stability and for the restoration of peace in Karachi. Burt also appreciated the role of all stakeholders in Karachi who are making efforts to restore peace. Ebad apprised Burt that the government was fully cognisant of the situation in Karachi and action was being taken against criminal elements. REFERENCE: Ebad, UK official discuss Karachi situation our correspondent Thursday, August 04, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=7875&Cat=13
KARACHI: In a speech marked by a discernible reduction of bellicosity, Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain said on Wednesday that the Army and the Rangers be deployed in Karachi on a full-time basis to stop it from frequently descending into violence. Mr Hussain set alarm bells ringing late on Tuesday night when he asked the beleaguered people of Karachi — where more than 300 people were killed last month alone — to stock up on ration for at least a month. He said the people must do that even if they had to sell valuables. That the major portion of the Wednesday speech by the MQM chief was in English indicated that he sought to address the international audience in addition to his party’s senior leaders and general workers at the Lal Qila ground in Azizabad. This impression was strengthened by a statement issued by British Foreign Office Minister for South Asia Alistair Burt after speaking to Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad over the phone.
Mr Burt expressed his concern “at the continuing violence and loss of life that Karachi has faced in recent weeks”. He said: “I warned that inflammatory statements from any political party risked making the situation worse and that all political leaders and their parties have a duty to refrain from inciting violence and to reduce tensions and restore calm. “Our Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi, Francis Campbell, has met representatives of all main political parties in Karachi to encourage them to work towards stability in Karachi and the wider region. I have asked my officials to reiterate these points directly with the leadership of the MQM and to discuss our concerns.” While Mr Hussain may have refrained from issuing dark warnings on Wednesday, he was no less impassioned in his appeal for a durable peace in the city. “The Rangers and the Army should come to Karachi and see who is involved in terrorism. They should control the law and order situation here.” REFERENCE: Altaf wants army to quell violence By Mukhtar Alam | From the Newspaper (1 hour ago) Today http://www.dawn.com/2011/08/04/altaf-wants-army-to-quell-violence-british-diplomacy-comes-into-play-for-peace.html PTI to sue Blair for ‘harbouring’ MQM leader By Our Reporter May 15, 2007 Tuesday Rabi-us-Sani 27, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/15/nat5.htm UK paper blames MQM for May 12 carnage Rauf Klasra Sunday, June 03, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8280&Cat=13&dt=6%2F1%2F2007 KARACHI: Altaf wants CJ to tender resignation By Our Staff Reporter May 13, 2007 Sunday Rabi-us-Sani 25, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/13/local3.htm UK urges MQM not to hinder Benazir’s return By M. Ziauddin October 09, 2007 Tuesday Ramazan 26, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/2007/10/09/top11.htm
Peace in Karachi Via Great Britain - 2 (Bolta Pakistan - 4th Aug 2011)
URL: http://youtu.be/z_44vl5jewI
Foreign Office Minister discusses continuing violence in Karachi with Governor of Sindh Last updated at 18:46 (UK time) 3 Aug 2011 http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view=News&id=639436482
Peace in Karachi Via Great Britain - 3 (Bolta Pakistan - 4th Aug 2011)
URL: http://youtu.be/4nfpulPSf_4
Peace in Karachi Via Great Britain - 4 (Bolta Pakistan - 4th Aug 2011)
URL: http://youtu.be/tjRRTWsSQms
Foreign Office Minister for South Asia Alistair Burt: "I reiterated the view of Her Majesty’s Government that the stability of Karachi is in the interests of all in Pakistan and the wider international community." Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt MP - Following his telephone call with Dr Khan, the Governor of Sindh, Foreign Office Minister for South Asia, Alistair Burt said: “This morning I spoke to the Governor of Sindh Dr. Khan to expressed my concern at the continuing violence and loss of life that Karachi has faced in recent weeks. I encouraged the Governor in his ongoing strong personal engagement to restore law and order. I warned that inflammatory statements from any political party risked making the situation worse and that all political leaders and their parties have a duty to refrain from inciting violence and to reduce tensions and restore calm. I reiterated the view of Her Majesty’s Government that the stability of Karachi is in the interests of all in Pakistan and the wider international community. I said that peace and prosperity in Karachi was necessary to encourage further foreign direct investment which would be vital to Pakistan’s future economic growth and stability. “Our Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi, Francis Campbell, has met with representative of all main political parties in Karachi to encourage them to work towards stability in Karachi and the wider region. I have asked my officials to reiterate these points directly with the leadership of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and to discuss our concerns.” REFERENCE: Foreign Office Minister discusses continuing violence in Karachi with Governor of Sindh 03 August 2011 http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view=News&id=639436482
KARACHI: “The police are only one of several armed groups and probably not the most numerous or best equipped,” according to a secret assessment of the ‘The Gangs of Karachi’ by then US consul general Stephen Fakan in April 2009. The assessment focuses on the Pakistan People’s Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party, Muhajir Qaumi Movement (H), Sunni Tehreek and “Pashtun terrorists”, besides some armed gangs operating in Lyari and other parts of this megapolis. It states that “the PPP’s decision to include MQM in coalition governments in Sindh and at the centre has helped preclude a return to the PPP-MQM violence of the 1990s. But the potential for MQM-ANP conflict is growing as Pashtuns challenge Muhajir political dominance and vie for control of key economic interests, such as the lucrative trucking industry. “Any sign that political violence is returning to Karachi, especially if it is related to the growing strength of conservative Pashtun ‘Taliban’, will send extremely negative shockwaves through the society and likely accelerate the flight from Pakistan of the business and intellectual elite of the society,” the report says. Assessing the overall situation that prevailed in the city, the cable adds that the police consider many neighbourhoods to be no-go zones in which even intelligence services have a difficult time operating. “Very few of the groups are traditional criminal gangs. Most are associated with a political party, a social movement, or terrorist activity, and their presence in the volatile ethnic mix of the world’s fourth largest city creates enormous political and governance challenges.” REFERENCE: ‘Armed gangs outnumber police in Karachi’ By Idrees Bakhtiar | From the Newspaper (18 hours ago) Today http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/23/armed-gangs-outnumber-police-in-karachi.html
Karachi Killings - 1 (Capital Talk/GEO TV 18 Jan 2011)
URL: http://youtu.be/71zHDTQazfQ
Karachi Killings - 2 (Capital Talk/GEO TV 18 Jan 2011)
URL: http://youtu.be/MkVy6sPC-1Y
URL: http://youtu.be/MkVy6sPC-1Y
About the presence of armed groups in the city, the US assessment mentions many parties. It says that the MQM’s armed members, referred to as “Good Friends”, are the largest non-governmental armed element in the city and that “the police estimate MQM has ten thousand active armed members and as many as twenty-five thousand armed fighters in reserve.” According to the cable, the local police believes that “MQM-H still maintains its armed groups in the areas of Landhi and Korangi, and that the party will re-organise itself once its leadership is released from jail. MQM-H had broken from the main MQM and its strongholds in Landhi and Korangi were regarded as no-go zones. It was in 2003 that the MQM, as a precondition to join the government, asked for the elimination of the MQM-H. The local police and Rangers were used to crack down on MQM-H, and its leaders were put behind bars. The rank and file of MQM-H found refuge in a local religious/political party, Sunni Tehrik,” the assessment reads. The cable goes on to note that the “ST is a small religious/political group with a presence in small pockets of Karachi. The group has only managed to win a handful of council seats in local elections but militarily it is disproportionately powerful because of the influx of MQM-H gunmen. ST has organised the party and its gunmen along the lines of MQM by dividing its areas of influence into sectors and units, with sector and unit commanders”. REFERENCE: ‘Armed gangs outnumber police in Karachi’ By Idrees Bakhtiar | From the Newspaper (18 hours ago) Today http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/23/armed-gangs-outnumber-police-in-karachi.html
Karachi Killings - 3 (Capital Talk/GEO TV 18 Jan 2011)
URL: http://youtu.be/EYZvVlfFDqU
URL: http://youtu.be/EYZvVlfFDqU
About the PPP, the US diplomat comments that “traditionally the party has not run an armed wing, but the workers of the party do possess weapons, both licensed and unlicensed. With PPP … having an influential … Home Minister, a large number of weapons permits were currently being issued to PPP workers.” He quotes a police official as having said that he believes, given the volume of weapons permits being issued to PPP members, that the party will soon be as well-armed as MQM. The Awami National Party (ANP), says Mr Fakan, “represents the ethnic Pashtuns in Karachi” and has begun to “organise formal armed groups.” Karachi’s Pashtuns, he continues, “do possess personal weapons, following the tribal traditions of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). … With the onset of combat operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in August 2008, a growing number of Pashtuns fled south to swell the Pashtun ranks of what already is the largest Pashtun city in the world. This has increased tensions between ANP and MQM. “If rhetoric of the police and the ANP leadership is to be believed, these armed elements may be preparing to challenge MQM’s control of Karachi,” the cable adds. “In March [2009] the Karachi Police Special Branch submitted a report to the Inspector General of Police in which it mentioned the presence of ‘hard-line’ Pashtuns in the Sohrab Goth neighborhood.” This report, according to the cable, said the neighborhood was “becoming a no-go area for the police” and claimed “the Pashtuns are involved in drug trafficking and gun running and if police wanted to move in the area they had to do so in civilian clothing. A senior member of the Intelligence Bureau in Karachi recently opined that the ANP would not move against MQM until the next elections, but the police report ANP gunmen are already fighting MQM gunmen over protection-racket turf.” REFERENCE: ‘Armed gangs outnumber police in Karachi’ By Idrees Bakhtiar | From the Newspaper (18 hours ago) Today http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/23/armed-gangs-outnumber-police-in-karachi.html
Karachi Killings - 4 (Capital Talk/GEO TV 18 Jan 2011)
2009: US assessment of Karachi violence
"QUOTE"
203530 4/22/2009 11:52 09KARACHI138 Consulate Karachi SECRET “VZCZCXRO6005OO RUEHLH RUEHPWDE RUEHKP #0138/01 1121152ZNY SSSSS ZZHO 221152Z APR 09FM AMCONSUL KARACHITO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1042INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0499RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0271RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0314RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1861RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 2720RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 4603RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITYRHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITYRHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITYRUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITYRUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITYRUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY” “S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 KARACHI 000138
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2019TAGS: PTER, ASEC, PGOV, PKSUBJECT: SINDH – THE GANGS OF KARACHI
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY CONSUL GENERAL STEPHEN FAKAN FOR REASONS 1.4 b and d.
1. (S) Summary: The police in Karachi are only one of several armed groups in the city, and they are probably not the most numerous or best equipped. Many neighborhoods are considered by the police to be no-go zones in which even the intelligence services have a difficult time operating. Very few of the groups are traditional criminal gangs. Most are associated with a political party, a social movement, or terrorist activity, and their presence in the volatile ethnic mix of the world,s fourth largest city creates enormous political and governance challenges.
MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement)——————————2. (S) The MQM is an ethnic political party of the Urdu speaking community (known as “Mohajirs,” which is Arabic for immigrants) that migrated from India at the time of partition; Mohajirs make up around fifty percent of the total population in Karachi. MQM is middle-class, avowedly secular, and anti-extremist (the only party to publicly protest the recent Swat Nizam-e-Adl regulations). It has a long history of clashes with the Pakistan People,s Party (PPP), which controls the Sindh province in which Karachi is located, and with the Awami National Party (ANP), which represents MQM,s rival ethnic Pashtuns.
3. (S) MQM’s armed members, known as “Good Friends,” are the largest non-governmental armed element in the city. The police estimate MQM has ten thousand active armed members and as many as twenty-five thousand armed fighters in reserve. This is compared to the city’s thirty-three thousand police officers. The party operates through its 100 Sector Commanders, who take their orders directly from the party leader, Altaf Hussain, who lives in exile in the United Kingdom. The Sector Commanders plan and monitor the activities of the armed elements. MQM’s detractors claim these armed men are involved in extortion, assassination of political rivals, shootings at campaign rallies, and the murder of people from other ethnic communities.
4. (S) Low to middle-ranked police officials acknowledge the extortion and the likely veracity of the other charges. A senior police officer said, in the past eight years alone, MQM was issued over a million arms licenses, mostly for handguns. Post has observed MQM security personnel carrying numerous shoulder-fired weapons, ranging from new European AKMs to crude AK copies, probably produced in local shops. MQM controls the following neighborhoods in Karachi: Gulberg, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Korangi, Landhi, Liaquatabad, Malir, Nazimabad, New Karachi, North Nazimabad, Orangi Town, Saddar and Shah Faisal.
MQM-H (Muhajir Quami Movement-Haqiqi)————————————-5. (S) MQM-H is a small ethnic political party that broke away from the MQM in the mid-1980s. MQM-H has its strongholds in the Landhi, Korangi and Lines Area neighborhoods of the city. The MQM regarded these areas as no-go zones when it was in power during the Musharraf presidency. As a condition for joining the Sindh government in 2003, it asked that MQM-H be eliminated. The local police and Rangers were used to crack down on MQM-H, and its leaders were put behind bars. The rank and file of MQM-H found refuge in a local religious/political party, Sunni Tehrik (see para 9). The local police believe MQM-H still maintains its armed groups in the areas of Landhi and Korangi, and that the party will re-organize itself once its leadership is released from jail.
ANP (Awami National Party – Peoples National Party)——————————————— ——6. (S) The ANP represents the ethnic Pashtuns in Karachi. The local Pashtuns do possess personal weapons, following the tribal traditions of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and there are indications they have begun to organize formal armed groups. With the onset of combat operations in the KARACHI 00000138 002 OF 003 Federally Administered Tribal Areas in August 2008, a growing number of Pashtuns fled south to swell the Pashtun ranks of what already is the largest Pashtun city in the world. This has increased tensions between ANP and MQM.
7. (S) If rhetoric of the police and the ANP leadership is to be believed, these armed elements may be preparing to challenge MQM control of Karachi. In March, the Karachi Police Special Branch submitted a report to the Inspector General of Police in which it mentioned the presence of “hard-line” Pashtuns in the Sohrab Goth neighborhood. Sohrab Goth is located in the Northeast of the city.
8. (S) The report said this neighborhood was becoming a no-go area for the police. The report went on to claim the Pashtuns are involved in drug trafficking and gun running and if police wanted to move in the area they had to do so in civilian clothing. A senior member of the Intelligence Bureau in Karachi recently opined that the ANP would not move against MQM until the next elections, but the police report ANP gunmen are already fighting MQM gunmen over protection-racket turf.
ST (Sunni Tehrik – Sunni Movement)———————————-9. (S) ST is a small religious/political group with a presence in small pockets of Karachi. The group has only managed to win a handful of council seats in local elections but militarily it is disproportionably powerful because of the influx of MQM-H gunmen after the government crack-down on MQM-H (see above). ST has organized the party and its gunmen along the lines of MQM by dividing its areas of influence into sectors and units, with sector and unit commanders. ST and MQM have allegedly been killing each other’s leadership since the April 2006 Nishtar Park bombing that killed most of ST’s leadership. ST blames MQM for the attack. There appears to have been a reduction in these targeted killings since 2008.
PPP (Pakistan People’s Party)—————————–10. (S) PPP is a political party led by, and centered on the Bhutto family. The party enjoys significant support in Karachi, especially among the Sindhi and Baloch populations. Traditionally, the party has not run an armed wing, but the workers of the PPP do possess weapons, both licensed and unlicensed. With PPP in control of the provincial government and having an influential member in place as the Home Minister, a large number of weapons permits are currently being issued to PPP workers. A police official recently told Post that he believes, given the volume of weapons permits being issued to PPP members, the party will soon be as well-armed as MQM.
Gangs in Lyari: Arshad Pappoo (AP) and Rahman Dakait (RD)
——————————————— ————
11. (S) AP and RD are two traditional criminal gangs that have been fighting each other since the turn of the century in the Lyari district of Karachi. Both gangs gave their political support to PPP in the parliamentary elections. The gangs got their start with drug trafficking in Lyari and later included the more serious crimes of kidnapping and robbery in other parts of Karachi. (Comment: Kidnapping is such a problem in the city that the Home Secretary once asked Post for small tracking devices that could be planted under the skin of upper-class citizens and a satellite to track the devices if they were kidnapped. End comment.)
12. (S) Each group has only about 200 hard-core armed fighters but, according to police, various people in Lyari have around 6,000 handguns, which are duly authorized through valid weapons permits. In addition, the gangs are in possession of a large number of unlicensed AK-47 rifles, Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers and hand grenades. The weapons are carried openly and used against each other as well as any police or Rangers who enter the area during security operations. During police incursions, the gang members maintain the tactical advantage by using the narrow KARACHI 00000138 003 OF 003 streets and interconnected houses. There are some parts of Lyari that are inaccessible to law enforcement agencies.
Pashtun Terrorists——————13. (S) A Senior IB officer recently opined to Post that “All Pashtuns in Karachi are not Taliban, but all Taliban are Pashtuns.” The size, scope and nature of “Talibanization” and true Taliban terrorist activity in Karachi is difficult to pin down, but Post has increasingly received anecdotes about women, even in more upscale neighborhoods, being accosted by bearded strangers and told to wear headscarves in public.
14. (S) There has not been a terrorist attack against U.S. interests in Karachi since 2006. There are several theories about Taliban activity in Karachi and why they have not staged an attack in so long. One school of thought has it that MQM is too powerful and will not allow the Pashtuns to operate in Karachi, and this, combined with the ease of operating elsewhere in Pakistan, makes Karachi an undesirable venue. Another line of thinking claims Karachi is too valuable as a hiding place and place to raise money.
15. (S) In April, the police in Karachi arrested Badshah Din Mahsud, from their Most Wanted Terrorist list, known as the Red Book. It is alleged he was robbing banks in Karachi at the behest of Baitullah Mehsud, from the NWFP, and the money was being used to finance terrorist activity. There is a large body of threat reporting which would seem to indicate the equipment and personnel for carrying out attacks are currently in place in Karachi. In April, Karachi CID told Post they had arrested five men from NWFP who were building VBIEDs and planed to use them in attacks against Pakistani government buildings; including the CID office located behind the US Consulate. CID also claimed they had reliable information that suicide vests had been brought to Karachi.
16. (S) Comment: The importance of maintaining stability in Karachi cannot be over-emphasized. Traditionally, Karachi was at the center of lawlessness, criminal activity, and politically-inspired violence in Pakistan. But with the security situation in the rest of the country deteriorating, the megalopolis has become something of an island of stability. Nevertheless, it still has a number of well-armed political and religious factions and the potential to explode into violent ethnic and religious conflict given the wrong circumstances.
17. (S) The PPP,s decision to include MQM in coalition governments in Sindh Province and in the federal government has helped preclude a return to the PPP-MQM violence of the 1990,s. But the potential for MQM-ANP conflict is growing as Pashtuns challenge Mohajir political dominance and vie for control of key economic interests, such as the lucrative trucking industry. Any sign that political violence is returning to Karachi, especially if it is related to the growing strength of conservative Pashtun “Taliban,” will send extremely negative shockwaves through the society and likely accelerate the flight from Pakistan of the business and intellectual elite of the society. End comment.FAKAN”
2009: US assessment of Karachi violence
"UNQUOTE"
Talking to media persons, MQM leader Farooq Sattar said that incidents of Karachi were neither ethnic nor political. He demanded that people involved in acts of target killings should be captured. The two sides agreed that no political or ethnic issues were responsible for the recent incidents of violence in Karachi. It was actually some other elements such as land and drug mafias which were involved in these activities, they said. Federal Minister of MQM Farooq Sattar said the Karachi riots are neither political nor ethnic in nature and that not any worker of MQM or PPP is part of these incidents. REFERENCES: - Peace to be restored in Karachi at all cost: PPP, MQM Updated at: 2315 PST, Sunday, January 10, 2010http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=95762 PPP, MQM pledge to bring killers to book By Habib Khan Ghori Monday, 11 Jan, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/06-mqm-ppp-resolve-to-catch-perpetrators-of-violence-rs-08 PPP, MQM declare truce in Karachi By Fasahat Mohiuddin Monday, January 11, 2010 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=26598Mr Shaheen Sehbai, Group Editor, The News International always "sees" something which is not there and that's what he did in his yesterday's "Trash" which he termed a "News Analysis". This Term of Accursed "Sindh Card" was first used by the same Mr Shaheen Sehbai to attain some unlterior motives. Shaheen Sehbai had tried to incite Sindhi Punjabi Clash after Benazir Bhutto's Assassination in 2007. REFERENCE: The contours of a changed, unwritten script Situationer By Shaheen Sehbai Wednesday, November 04, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=25365 All power players focus on constitutional knock-out By Shaheen Sehbai Friday, October 23, 2009 http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=25146 AND Sindh is angry and Punjab is not helping By Shaheen Sehbai Sunday, January 06, 2008 http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=12113
"QUOTE"
The final go-ahead of even this first step has been left to Altaf Hussain as very diplomatically, during the heat of nasty exchanges of vitriolic between Sindhi PPP and second tier MQM leaders, it has been said that MQM’s parliamentary party has asked for permission from Altaf Bhai to sit in the opposition. The next stage would be to pull out of the Sindh cabinet, although the MQM knows that the PPP on its own has a simple majority in the Sindh Assembly and would not be in danger of falling as such. But if the MQM walks out, the rural-urban divide will become a major issue and given the temperature, Karachi and Hyderabad could return to the days of endless turmoil, body bag killings, looting and chaos. But the domino effect of the MQM pulling of the coalition with the PPP will be massive, the London Secretariat of the MQM believes. FATA MPs, who have acquired a critical role in the number game, have already shown in the recent past that they could part ways with the PPP, given their own grievances and the wishes of the quarters, which normally have a decisive say in their major political decisions. Mustufa Kamal is seen by Altaf Hussain as his party’s poster boy and the MQM chief promises to produce one Mustufa Kamal for every big city of Pakistan, should the MQM ever get a chance to do so.There is an underlying feeling in some MQM circles that the superior judiciary, especially the current Supreme Court, may still have some lingering anger about the role of the MQM on May 12, 2007 when Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was not allowed to enter Karachi. But another view is that the party may have washed its negative image when it stood up against the NRO and practically blocked it from being moved in parliament, a decision which paved the way for the Supreme Court to strike the law as void ab initio. The MQM’s bold stand that it was not afraid of reopening of any or all of its cases in courts and the underlying confidence in the judiciary may have also restored some comfort level between the party and the judges. All in all the MQM is not much worried about the developing situation in Karachi, specially in the aftermath of the Ashura bombing and the calculated loot and plunder supported by elements in the administration. The leaders are confident of the way things are moving, no matter how shrewdly PPP plays the good-cop, bad-cop game. The MQM leadership is going along, fighting its way where needed and playing soft when required. It appears the future is clear in their eyes and they seem to know the roadmap but they are proceeding with caution, but with confidence. REFERENCE: Is it the end of the road for PPP-MQM love-hate affair? By Shaheen Sehbai News analysis Sunday, January 10, 2010 News analysis http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=26589
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Befitting Reply of MQM to Stephen Sackur in BBC HARDtalk Part 1
REFERENCES: Pakistan: Imran Farooq murder linked to rows within MQM Vikram Dodd, crime correspondent guardian.co.uk, Sunday 26 September 2010 20.28 BST http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/26/pakistan-imran-farooq-murder-mqm The Karachi king After a bloody conflict in Karachi, much-feared political boss Altaf Hussain fled to London, but he is no less powerful in Pakistan Mustafa Qadri guardian.co.uk, Monday 6 July 2009 18.00 BST http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/06/altaf-hussain-karachi-pakistan-london Pakistan: Information on Mohajir/Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Altaf (MQM-A) http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/publisher,USCIS,,,414fe5aa4,0.html Wiki Leaks Memo on MQM & MQM's "Confusion" over AL-QAEDA. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2011/05/wiki-leaks-memo-on-mqm-mqms-confusion.html Wiki Leaks Memo on "Karachi Killings"! http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2011/05/wiki-leaks-memo-on-karachi-killings.html
Befitting Reply of MQM to Stephen Sackur BBC HARDtalk Part 2
REFERENCE: Running Karachi - from London By Isambard Wilkinson in Karachi and Damien McElroy Published: 12:01AM BST 14 May 2007 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1551540/Running-Karachi-from-London.html Running Pakistan's biggest city - from London By Alastair Lawson BBC News, London Last Updated: Wednesday, 16 May 2007, 11:33 GMT 12:33 UK http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6658231.stm The Karachi ruling party ‘run like the mafia’ from an office block in London · MQM accused of planning carnage which left 42 dead · Khan calls for leader in UK to face anti-terror charges Declan Walsh in Karachi and Matthew Taylor The Guardian, Saturday 2 June 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jun/02/uk.pakistan Pakistan: Information on Mohajir/Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Altaf (MQM-A) http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/publisher,USCIS,,,414fe5aa4,0.html Wiki Leaks Memo on MQM & MQM's "Confusion" over AL-QAEDA. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2011/05/wiki-leaks-memo-on-mqm-mqms-confusion.html Wiki Leaks Memo on "Karachi Killings"! http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2011/05/wiki-leaks-memo-on-karachi-killings.html
In his above article he is praising MQM whereas the same Shaheen Sehbai had tried to incite a Clash between MQM and PAK ARMY when he was in Exile in USA through Columns in South Asia Tribune. Mr Shaheen Sehbai (former correspondent of Daily Dawn; former editor of The News; ex Director News of ARY ONE TV Channel; former director of GEO News Network; and presently Group Editor the News), escaped from Pakistan to save himself from the so-called wrath of the establishment headed by General Musharraf, after the controversy surrounding his story about the murder of Daniel Pearl. It was apparently simply to obtain the Green Card for himself, and his family in the United States. Mr Sehbai then started to run a web based news service, i.e., South Asia Tribune, funded through dubious sources, but he suddenly reappeared and closed his website. During his self-imposed exile in the USA, he used to raise hue and cry against the military establishment that he and his family members’ life was in danger, but the so-called danger suddenly vanished after the whole family getting the Green Cards. He then returned to Pakistan and that too under the same Musharraf regime, and joined ARY TV channel, then GEO, and then the News, where he is presently working."QUOTE"
WASHINGTON, October 17: Dear Readers, this is the final piece on the South Asia Tribune, as this site is now being closed for good. I understand that it may come as a rude shock to many and may create despair and depression for all those who had started to look up to SAT as a beacon of courage and resistance, but this decision has been based on many factors, which I will explain briefly. SAT would be on line for the rest of this month, till the end of October. On November 1, 2005 it will disappear from the Internet. All those who may be interested in keeping a record of any SAT article or report can save it any time before that date. REFERENCE: The Final Word from theSouth Asia Tribune By Shaheen Sehbai WASHINGTON DC, Oct 17, 2005 ISSN: 1684-2057 www.satribune.com http://antisystemic.org/satribune/www.satribune.com/archives/200510/P1_sat.htm"QUOTE"
Is the Army sincere with Altaf Bhai's MQM? By Abdul Sattar Issue No 19, Nov 25-Dec 1, 2002 ISSN:1684-2075 satribune.com http://antisystemic.org/satribune/www.satribune.com/archives/nov25_dec1_02/P1_mqmstory.htm
KARACHI: What is going on in Karachi’s No-Go Areas is a mystery known only to the secret agencies of General Pervez Musharraf. Apparently the Army is trying to appease Altaf Hussain’s MQM by hitting out at the MQM Haqiqi Group but in reality the agencies do not want to hurt their own creation. This has led to a stand off between the new Government of Mir Zafrullah Khan Jamali and Altaf Bhai who withdrew his candidate for a cabinet seat at the last minute. Attacks on Dr. Farooq Sattar while taking over an office in the No Go Area of Landhi further compounded the situation for the administration. What has been going on is like a scene of a suspense thriller. After the vociferous demands of MQM Chief Altaf Hussain regarding elimination of these NGAs, President Musharraf gave a statement in favor of MQM and reportedly ordered abolition of all these areas.
But subsequent statements of his Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider and Information Minister Nisar Memon indicated that Pakistani agencies were still divided over the issue. Both these ministers said there were no NGAs in Karachi and it was a dispute between the two groups of MQM. Their statements gave the first clue that the most powerful agencies of the government were not in favour of abolishing the NGAs. On November 18 Altaf Bhai decided to support the PML(Q) on the assurance that the government would abolish the NGAs. Next day government started the crackdown on the Haqiqi group. Its sector and unit offices were sealed and its leaders including Afaq Ahmed and Amir Khan were besieged in the party head office Baitul Humza. But Altaf Bhai got alerted when both Afaq, Amir and other leaders managed to escape, despite the heavy presence of the Rangers and police. They even held a telephonic press conference. On Nov 20 the activists of Mutahida reached Landhi along with Dr. Farooq Sattar, Nasreen Jalil, Abdul Qadir Lakhani and other leaders of the party and tried to take over the head office of the Haqiqi. They were attacked and the female activists of Haqiqi manhandled Nasreen Jalil. Altaf Bhai’s men managed to occupy only three units of Landhi and six others stayed under the control of Haqiqi who were heavily armed despite the presence of police and law enforcement agencies.
If one compares this operation with that launched against the Altaf Group on June19, 1992, it was clear that the agencies did not want to eliminate the Haqiqi Group. In 1992 when the operation against the Altaf Group started, activists of Haqiqi came along with Pakistan Army and the troops not only allowed Haqiqi activists to torture activists of Altaf Group but some of them were killed right in front of these troops. Those killed included the brother of Haroon Siddiqi, a former Altaf Group MPA who was shot in Unit 83. The army arrested every one. But in the current operation the attitude of the police and Rangers was totally different. When the Rangers besieged Baitul Hamza, Afaq Ahmed and other leaders of the party were inside it. The Rangers did not allow police to get near the Head office of the Haqiqi, thus deliberately delaying the arrest of Afaq. Haqiqi leaders claimed that 300 of its workers had been arrested but not a single prominent leader was named. Most of those arrested were youngsters and students of Matric or 9th class. The Haqiqi Group had close relations with the agencies and an army picket had been established near their head office for a long time, manned by the Rangers. That is why the Rangers were reluctant to arrest leaders of the Group.
Most of the activists of Haqiqi were armed and present at Landhi No 6, 5,3,4 and 5.5 locations but the police did not try to disarm them. The activists of the Mutahida were also armed but not as heavily as that of Haqiqi. They were present at Babar markets and two other units in Landhi. In Malir, Shah Faisal, Lines Area and Liaqautabad the Haqiqi workers were heavily armed and Mutahida was to face a stiff resistance if they tried to penetrate. Police and Rangers were simply watching as silent spectators and doing nothing to disarm the group. Basically the agencies wanted to convey a message to the government that if these areas were opened to Mutahida there would be serious bloodshed and on this pretext they might discontinue the operation against the NGAs. On Nov 22 an activist of the Haqiqi was fired upon in 2 B Sector of Landhi. He died on the same day. Following his death tension gripped Landhi and the office of Mutahida at Korangi No1 was attacked leaving four people injured. This happened in the heavy presence of the Rangers and police.
On Nov 22 female activists of the Haqiqi demonstrated in front of the Governor House in Karachi. They were armed with sticks and injured some police officials and tried to capture an armored carrier vehicle of the police. They remained there for over 100 minutes shouting slogans against the government. Interestingly the police did not turn violent giving yet another signal that the operation against Haqiqi was not going to be severe. On Nov 21 an evening Urdu newspaper in Karachi published a report quoting the agencies in which they feared that a bloodbath may occur as both groups of the MQM were amassing weapons and trying to prepare for pitched battles against each other. The same newspaper published a report about the formation of Mohajir National Front, to be led by ousted Secretary General Dr. Imran Farooq. This was interpreted as a psychological tactic of the agencies. It seems that they want to divide the Altaf Group into as many groups as possible, like the Jeay Sindh.
There are also conflicting views about the crackdown. Some people think that the government wanted the support of Altaf Group for Mr. Jamali and now that he has got through the new regime may not honor the secret deal reached between the establishment and Altaf Bhai. Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed’s statement also bolstered this view as he said after the election of the PM, the situation would change. Another view is that the agencies would keep both the groups in the NGAs so that the presence of Rangers and interference of the federal government agencies could be justified. Analysts believe if the government would use the Haqiqi against the Mutahida, Altaf Bhai will not completely cooperate with the PML(Q), thus threatening to bring down Mr. Jamali. Others believe the MQM wants the chief ministership of the Sindh and it seems firm in doing so.
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But subsequent statements of his Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider and Information Minister Nisar Memon indicated that Pakistani agencies were still divided over the issue. Both these ministers said there were no NGAs in Karachi and it was a dispute between the two groups of MQM. Their statements gave the first clue that the most powerful agencies of the government were not in favour of abolishing the NGAs. On November 18 Altaf Bhai decided to support the PML(Q) on the assurance that the government would abolish the NGAs. Next day government started the crackdown on the Haqiqi group. Its sector and unit offices were sealed and its leaders including Afaq Ahmed and Amir Khan were besieged in the party head office Baitul Humza. But Altaf Bhai got alerted when both Afaq, Amir and other leaders managed to escape, despite the heavy presence of the Rangers and police. They even held a telephonic press conference. On Nov 20 the activists of Mutahida reached Landhi along with Dr. Farooq Sattar, Nasreen Jalil, Abdul Qadir Lakhani and other leaders of the party and tried to take over the head office of the Haqiqi. They were attacked and the female activists of Haqiqi manhandled Nasreen Jalil. Altaf Bhai’s men managed to occupy only three units of Landhi and six others stayed under the control of Haqiqi who were heavily armed despite the presence of police and law enforcement agencies.
If one compares this operation with that launched against the Altaf Group on June19, 1992, it was clear that the agencies did not want to eliminate the Haqiqi Group. In 1992 when the operation against the Altaf Group started, activists of Haqiqi came along with Pakistan Army and the troops not only allowed Haqiqi activists to torture activists of Altaf Group but some of them were killed right in front of these troops. Those killed included the brother of Haroon Siddiqi, a former Altaf Group MPA who was shot in Unit 83. The army arrested every one. But in the current operation the attitude of the police and Rangers was totally different. When the Rangers besieged Baitul Hamza, Afaq Ahmed and other leaders of the party were inside it. The Rangers did not allow police to get near the Head office of the Haqiqi, thus deliberately delaying the arrest of Afaq. Haqiqi leaders claimed that 300 of its workers had been arrested but not a single prominent leader was named. Most of those arrested were youngsters and students of Matric or 9th class. The Haqiqi Group had close relations with the agencies and an army picket had been established near their head office for a long time, manned by the Rangers. That is why the Rangers were reluctant to arrest leaders of the Group.
Most of the activists of Haqiqi were armed and present at Landhi No 6, 5,3,4 and 5.5 locations but the police did not try to disarm them. The activists of the Mutahida were also armed but not as heavily as that of Haqiqi. They were present at Babar markets and two other units in Landhi. In Malir, Shah Faisal, Lines Area and Liaqautabad the Haqiqi workers were heavily armed and Mutahida was to face a stiff resistance if they tried to penetrate. Police and Rangers were simply watching as silent spectators and doing nothing to disarm the group. Basically the agencies wanted to convey a message to the government that if these areas were opened to Mutahida there would be serious bloodshed and on this pretext they might discontinue the operation against the NGAs. On Nov 22 an activist of the Haqiqi was fired upon in 2 B Sector of Landhi. He died on the same day. Following his death tension gripped Landhi and the office of Mutahida at Korangi No1 was attacked leaving four people injured. This happened in the heavy presence of the Rangers and police.
On Nov 22 female activists of the Haqiqi demonstrated in front of the Governor House in Karachi. They were armed with sticks and injured some police officials and tried to capture an armored carrier vehicle of the police. They remained there for over 100 minutes shouting slogans against the government. Interestingly the police did not turn violent giving yet another signal that the operation against Haqiqi was not going to be severe. On Nov 21 an evening Urdu newspaper in Karachi published a report quoting the agencies in which they feared that a bloodbath may occur as both groups of the MQM were amassing weapons and trying to prepare for pitched battles against each other. The same newspaper published a report about the formation of Mohajir National Front, to be led by ousted Secretary General Dr. Imran Farooq. This was interpreted as a psychological tactic of the agencies. It seems that they want to divide the Altaf Group into as many groups as possible, like the Jeay Sindh.
There are also conflicting views about the crackdown. Some people think that the government wanted the support of Altaf Group for Mr. Jamali and now that he has got through the new regime may not honor the secret deal reached between the establishment and Altaf Bhai. Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed’s statement also bolstered this view as he said after the election of the PM, the situation would change. Another view is that the agencies would keep both the groups in the NGAs so that the presence of Rangers and interference of the federal government agencies could be justified. Analysts believe if the government would use the Haqiqi against the Mutahida, Altaf Bhai will not completely cooperate with the PML(Q), thus threatening to bring down Mr. Jamali. Others believe the MQM wants the chief ministership of the Sindh and it seems firm in doing so.
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What is going on inside Altaf Bhai's MQM
Are the 'No Go Areas' a Recipe for Disaster in Sindh By Abdus Sattar Agha Issue No 17, Nov 11-17, 2002 ISSN:1684-2075 satribune.com http://antisystemic.org/satribune/www.satribune.com/archives/nov11_17_02/P1_mqm.htm
LONDON: MQM Leader Altaf Hussain’s announcement to wage a war against the establishment has surprised many political observers but the real secret deal under way between the MQM and the Musharraf Government is to accommodate Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider in the Senate on an MQM ticket. Mr Haider recently praised Altaf Hussain as a “very responsible leader” and the sudden attention being paid to the “No Go Areas” (NGAs) in Karachi has given rise to serious speculation that MQM was asking for its pound of flesh before it could consider any concession to the Musharraf regime.
Analysts understand why General Musharraf did not say any thing about the NGAs earlier during the three years of his rule. He was in the army when his fellow generals decided to form the rival group of the MQM and fully supported them. Late COAS General Asif Nawaz had even publicly stated that if there could be 11 Muslim Leagues, why could not there be two MQMs. On 19 June 1992 the army brought the Haqiqi group to the urban areas of Karachi. Many MPAs and MNAs of the Altaf group were forced to change their loyalty and all this happened at a time when the army was present in the city and a crackdown against Altaf group was going on. It means that Musharraf must have been aware of the fact that there were certain NGAs but he did nothing about them. Even during the recent elections these areas were not abolished and Mutahida was denied entry into these areas. So, what has prompted Gen. Musharraf to give a statement in favor of MQM now. Some believe a secret deal has been struck.
Analysts also believe that the MQM may again be used against the PPP if it comes into power. As the influence of the party has been reduced in many parts of Karachi, it is essential that Altaf Hussain’s group is provided a launching base for any powerful agitation against the government. According to another view point, MQM might be inducted into the new Sindh administration and for that it would have demanded entry into these NGAs. Others say the former members of the MQM Coordination Committee did not effectively raise the issue of NGAs which made Mr Altaf Hussain very angry. They mainly focused on ministries and privileges which annoyed Mr Hussain who dissolved the Committee. Yet another view is that Mr Hussain was exasperated over the defeat of the MQM in some areas and thought that he was not given accurate reports regarding the party position of those areas. MQM also no longer raises any popular slogan. It has already used the slogan of a separate province and provincial autonomy which became quite unpopular.
Thus the NGAs are being used as a new slogan, according to this school of thought. Activists of the party were dejected when the party lost seats of national and provincial assemblies from Landhi and it is said that many workers of the party were now sure that Haqiqi could never be expelled from these NGAs so this issue had to be raised to enhance their morale and keep them involved. It is thought the workers of the NGAs are more active in the party than those of other areas and that is why it was important to demand MQM’s entry. Another analysis suggests that the threat to the establishment regarding the abolition of NGAs has been given to divert the attention of the party workers from the internal contradictions and differences of the party because on this issue the workers are more emotional than on any other issue. It is interesting to note that in past MQM has been a part of the government but it did not raise the issue of NGAs as vehemently as it is doing now.
If after Ramadan the NGAs were not abolished then it would be clear that the slogan of its abolishment was raised to divert the attention of the people from the internal contradictions of the party. Mr Hussain has said that his party would abolish the NGAs itself if the establishment did not do so. This indicates that there could be bloodshed in the city and taking this as an excuse the establishment might resort to impose Governor’s Rule in the province where PPP would be in power. It may be mentioned that the first government of Benazir was destabilized by MQM following the operation of the Pakka Qila in Hyderabad. When the second Benazir government dissolved, she was blamed for extra judicial killings, though Nasirullah Babar, the incharge of the crackdown on MQM, had admitted that MI and other agencies helped him conduct the operation. So it is clear that with whose consent the extra judicial killings were carried out. But these killings were cited as one of the reasons for the dissolution of her government. If the MQM really tries to get the NGAs vacated, it may be a difficult task because most of the die-hard MQM activists had either been killed in fake police encounters or jailed. In the last five years the party has also expelled many militants like Kala Shafiq of New Karachi and many others besides suspending workers like Javed Shahpuri of the Liaquatabad. This, however does not mean that the MQM has no die hard activists. There are still many who are ready to obey Altaf Bhai. If the party tries to enter those areas, there will be great bloodshed which might pave the way for the army government to impose extra constitutional rule on the province or even the country on the one hand and start a crackdown against the party on the other.
Altaf Hussain‘s warning to those who were trying to create the forward block in the MQM indicates that there are severe differences within the party and the decision to dissolve the coordination committee has been delayed to see that how many people go with Dr. Imran Farooq. This is also an attempt to stop them from doing so. The dilemma is how to abolish the NGAs as they are protected by the agencies themselves. In the past all attempts to do so have failed. During Liaquat Jatoi’s government the activists of the MQM tried to enter these areas but they were resisted by the rival group while Police and Rangers remained either neutral or supported the rival Haqiqi group. The agencies do not want to abolish the NGAs because they are afraid that if the city is given back to MQM, they will go beyond the control of the agencies. These agencies may also try to play games with the MQM. They may ask Mutahida to let Haqiqi work in other parts of Karachi which would be impossible for MQM to accept. It is believed that during the recent elections this offer was made by the Haqiqi and the government which was turned down by Mutahida
Altaf Hussain has also asked the members of the Coordination Committee to sit at the Khurshid Memorial Hall (named after Mr Hussain’s mother) during his speech. It is thought that this announcement was made so that the loyal workers of Mr Hussain could keep an eye on the activities of his members. The hall has big rooms and is dominated by the APMSO and Labour division of the party who are very loyal to party chief. Altaf’s control on the party is still very firm and sources said that party activists were of the opinion that no body could take the place of the party chief. Earlier Dr Imran Farooq was in direct contact with the sector in charges but now they are all in direct contact with the party chief or his loyalists.
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Shocking TV interview haunts Dr Aamir Liaquat’s career Daily Times Monitor Daily Times - Site Edition Thursday, May 26, 2005 ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: President Pervez Musharraf’s favourite Islamic TV preacher, the minister of state for religious affairs, Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain, has finally shot himself, not in the foot but almost in the head, South Asia Tribune reported on Wednesday. “The minister, who was already in trouble over his allegedly fake degrees scandal and his sharp criticism of the Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and is being replaced by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), despite all his denials, went on record in a TV interview last week and said Pakistan supported Iraqi insurgent leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and what he was doing to US forces in Iraq,” it reported. “Aamir said this in an interview to ARY’s famous host, Dr Shahid Masood, on the subject of a fatwa (decree) issued by some Pakistani religious scholars recently, on whether suicide bombing was permissible in Islam. Aamir had been called to discuss the fatwa along with senior Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed,” it said. “The young and inexperienced minister, a loud-mouth who offends listeners, said such ‘truthful’ things about Pakistan’s policy on jihad in Iraq and Kashmir and even so strongly blasted President Musharraf for supporting the US that ARY TV decided not to run the programme on popular talk show Views-on-News,” South Asia Tribune added. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, who was the other guest on the talk show, was shocked out of his senses when he heard the comments of the minister during the interview. He asked Aamir several times whether he was speaking in his personal capacity or on behalf of the MQM or the Musharraf government. When he was told that he was representing the government’s point of view, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed reportedly could not refrain from making the following remarks: ‘If this is what enlightened moderation of General Musharraf means, who in hell can oppose it. The MMA will fully support the MQM and Musharraf if this is the official policy’,” it said. “The whole show became so ridiculous that ARY decided not to run it, but the tape immediately became a hot potato and was soon in tremendous demand from all interested parties,” South Asia Tribune reported.
Hafiz Hussain Ahmed confirmed the story of the censored TV show to South Asia Tribune. It quoted him as saying that he was shortly going to protest to the ARY TV Channel for not running the interview, as the minister had repeatedly said that it was the official government policy. “The minister agreed with all the points that I raised and all the arguments for jihad that I made and concurred that it was jihad being fought by Muslims in Iraq and the Pakistani government supported it. I was so surprised that I told him on record that if this is the meaning of enlightened moderation of General Musharraf, we (the MMA) are with you and kon kambakht mukhalifat kar sakta hay (which Godforsaken soul can oppose it),” it quoted him as saying. “ARY officials in Dubai and Islamabad refused to say why the interview had not been shown but Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said he would be protesting to the channel and urging them to release the tape as it would open the eyes of the world,” South Asia Tribune reported. “When Hafiz Hussain Ahmed started asking questions about the interview, the secret service got wind of what had happened and immediately demands were made from the ARY administration to let the authorities have a copy of the dreaded tape,” it said. “Surprisingly, the London headquarters of the MQM also got wind of what had happened in the interview and Altaf Hussain, who had already summoned Aamir Liaquat Hussain to London, also started looking for a copy of the tape,” it added.
South Asia Tribune quotes US diplomatic sources in Islamabad as telling it that they had heard about the interview and that they would like to hear the tape and what the minister had said about President Musharraf’s policy about suicide attacks by Zarqawi’s men on US forces. It quoted sources as saying later that Pakistani authorities had informed the US diplomats about the contents of the interview and everyone might soon be watching the tape of the interview. “Whether President Musharraf, Altaf Hussain or the US diplomats have received the cassette and heard Dr Aamir’s comments or not is not yet confirmed, but experts in Islamabad said it is only a matter of time that everyone concerned will hear what this outspoken minister had to say and then the chips would fall where they may,” it added. South Asia Tribune quotes sources close to Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, who heard the minister in awe during the interview, as saying that the minister had become emotional while talking about jihad and suicide bombings and was grilled by the host of the programme, Dr Shahid Masood, who almost trapped him into making statements which no politician in such a high political position would make.
It quotes the sources as saying that Aamir had openly criticised President Musharraf for his pro-US policies and had fully supported the jihadis in Iraq, Palestine and Kashmir, but at the same time he had insisted that suicide bombings in Pakistan were against Islam. “‘Anywhere, if there is one American soldier present, suicide bombing is permissible in Islam,’ Dr Aamir was quoted by these sources as having said on record. ‘There are times when the truth must be told,’ he added in one remark,” South Asia Tribune reported. “The minister was the main sponsor when about 50 Pakistani religious leaders issued the fatwa against suicide bombings in Pakistan, which according to some analysts, was done to please President Musharraf. But in his exuberance the minister was caught on the wrong foot when questioned by ARY and Geo TV Channels about such attacks in Iraq and other places,” it added. South Asia Tribune quoted sources in London as saying that MQM Chief Altaf Hussain had already been told by the army to name a replacement for the minister, as he had become too controversial and out-spoken in his remarks and it was difficult to keep him at the cabinet post.
“The London sources also revealed a shocking story about Dr Aamir’s brother, Imran Liaquat Hussain, who studied in Iran and later declared himself an ‘Ayatollah’ opposed to the clerics of Iran,” it said, adding, “Dr Imran was arrested in Iran and later came to Karachi where he took up a fight with MQM Chief Altaf Hussain and declared him ‘an agent of Iran, and a mafia don’. He also issued a fatwa calling for Altaf Hussain’s death and accused the MQM of Wall Street Journal’s journalist Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping and murder.”
“He claimed that the MQM was getting funds from Iran,” South Asia Tribune said.
“In response to his statements in 2002, Altaf Hussain pressured his father, who was also a senior MQM leader to disown his son and Sheikh Liaquat Hussain did exactly that, saying the statements issued by his ‘Ayatollah’ son were stupid, misleading and provocative and he as his father had nothing to do with these views of his son,” it added. “Imran Liaquat Hussain also has a website where he has numerous press clippings of his war against the MQM and its leader Altaf Hussain. He also supported President Musharraf in the 2002 referendum,” it reported. URL: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2005%5C05%5C26%5Cstory_26-5-2005_pg7_45
Analysts understand why General Musharraf did not say any thing about the NGAs earlier during the three years of his rule. He was in the army when his fellow generals decided to form the rival group of the MQM and fully supported them. Late COAS General Asif Nawaz had even publicly stated that if there could be 11 Muslim Leagues, why could not there be two MQMs. On 19 June 1992 the army brought the Haqiqi group to the urban areas of Karachi. Many MPAs and MNAs of the Altaf group were forced to change their loyalty and all this happened at a time when the army was present in the city and a crackdown against Altaf group was going on. It means that Musharraf must have been aware of the fact that there were certain NGAs but he did nothing about them. Even during the recent elections these areas were not abolished and Mutahida was denied entry into these areas. So, what has prompted Gen. Musharraf to give a statement in favor of MQM now. Some believe a secret deal has been struck.
Analysts also believe that the MQM may again be used against the PPP if it comes into power. As the influence of the party has been reduced in many parts of Karachi, it is essential that Altaf Hussain’s group is provided a launching base for any powerful agitation against the government. According to another view point, MQM might be inducted into the new Sindh administration and for that it would have demanded entry into these NGAs. Others say the former members of the MQM Coordination Committee did not effectively raise the issue of NGAs which made Mr Altaf Hussain very angry. They mainly focused on ministries and privileges which annoyed Mr Hussain who dissolved the Committee. Yet another view is that Mr Hussain was exasperated over the defeat of the MQM in some areas and thought that he was not given accurate reports regarding the party position of those areas. MQM also no longer raises any popular slogan. It has already used the slogan of a separate province and provincial autonomy which became quite unpopular.
Thus the NGAs are being used as a new slogan, according to this school of thought. Activists of the party were dejected when the party lost seats of national and provincial assemblies from Landhi and it is said that many workers of the party were now sure that Haqiqi could never be expelled from these NGAs so this issue had to be raised to enhance their morale and keep them involved. It is thought the workers of the NGAs are more active in the party than those of other areas and that is why it was important to demand MQM’s entry. Another analysis suggests that the threat to the establishment regarding the abolition of NGAs has been given to divert the attention of the party workers from the internal contradictions and differences of the party because on this issue the workers are more emotional than on any other issue. It is interesting to note that in past MQM has been a part of the government but it did not raise the issue of NGAs as vehemently as it is doing now.
If after Ramadan the NGAs were not abolished then it would be clear that the slogan of its abolishment was raised to divert the attention of the people from the internal contradictions of the party. Mr Hussain has said that his party would abolish the NGAs itself if the establishment did not do so. This indicates that there could be bloodshed in the city and taking this as an excuse the establishment might resort to impose Governor’s Rule in the province where PPP would be in power. It may be mentioned that the first government of Benazir was destabilized by MQM following the operation of the Pakka Qila in Hyderabad. When the second Benazir government dissolved, she was blamed for extra judicial killings, though Nasirullah Babar, the incharge of the crackdown on MQM, had admitted that MI and other agencies helped him conduct the operation. So it is clear that with whose consent the extra judicial killings were carried out. But these killings were cited as one of the reasons for the dissolution of her government. If the MQM really tries to get the NGAs vacated, it may be a difficult task because most of the die-hard MQM activists had either been killed in fake police encounters or jailed. In the last five years the party has also expelled many militants like Kala Shafiq of New Karachi and many others besides suspending workers like Javed Shahpuri of the Liaquatabad. This, however does not mean that the MQM has no die hard activists. There are still many who are ready to obey Altaf Bhai. If the party tries to enter those areas, there will be great bloodshed which might pave the way for the army government to impose extra constitutional rule on the province or even the country on the one hand and start a crackdown against the party on the other.
Altaf Hussain‘s warning to those who were trying to create the forward block in the MQM indicates that there are severe differences within the party and the decision to dissolve the coordination committee has been delayed to see that how many people go with Dr. Imran Farooq. This is also an attempt to stop them from doing so. The dilemma is how to abolish the NGAs as they are protected by the agencies themselves. In the past all attempts to do so have failed. During Liaquat Jatoi’s government the activists of the MQM tried to enter these areas but they were resisted by the rival group while Police and Rangers remained either neutral or supported the rival Haqiqi group. The agencies do not want to abolish the NGAs because they are afraid that if the city is given back to MQM, they will go beyond the control of the agencies. These agencies may also try to play games with the MQM. They may ask Mutahida to let Haqiqi work in other parts of Karachi which would be impossible for MQM to accept. It is believed that during the recent elections this offer was made by the Haqiqi and the government which was turned down by Mutahida
Altaf Hussain has also asked the members of the Coordination Committee to sit at the Khurshid Memorial Hall (named after Mr Hussain’s mother) during his speech. It is thought that this announcement was made so that the loyal workers of Mr Hussain could keep an eye on the activities of his members. The hall has big rooms and is dominated by the APMSO and Labour division of the party who are very loyal to party chief. Altaf’s control on the party is still very firm and sources said that party activists were of the opinion that no body could take the place of the party chief. Earlier Dr Imran Farooq was in direct contact with the sector in charges but now they are all in direct contact with the party chief or his loyalists.
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Shocking TV interview haunts Dr Aamir Liaquat’s career Daily Times Monitor Daily Times - Site Edition Thursday, May 26, 2005 ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: President Pervez Musharraf’s favourite Islamic TV preacher, the minister of state for religious affairs, Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain, has finally shot himself, not in the foot but almost in the head, South Asia Tribune reported on Wednesday. “The minister, who was already in trouble over his allegedly fake degrees scandal and his sharp criticism of the Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and is being replaced by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), despite all his denials, went on record in a TV interview last week and said Pakistan supported Iraqi insurgent leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and what he was doing to US forces in Iraq,” it reported. “Aamir said this in an interview to ARY’s famous host, Dr Shahid Masood, on the subject of a fatwa (decree) issued by some Pakistani religious scholars recently, on whether suicide bombing was permissible in Islam. Aamir had been called to discuss the fatwa along with senior Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed,” it said. “The young and inexperienced minister, a loud-mouth who offends listeners, said such ‘truthful’ things about Pakistan’s policy on jihad in Iraq and Kashmir and even so strongly blasted President Musharraf for supporting the US that ARY TV decided not to run the programme on popular talk show Views-on-News,” South Asia Tribune added. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, who was the other guest on the talk show, was shocked out of his senses when he heard the comments of the minister during the interview. He asked Aamir several times whether he was speaking in his personal capacity or on behalf of the MQM or the Musharraf government. When he was told that he was representing the government’s point of view, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed reportedly could not refrain from making the following remarks: ‘If this is what enlightened moderation of General Musharraf means, who in hell can oppose it. The MMA will fully support the MQM and Musharraf if this is the official policy’,” it said. “The whole show became so ridiculous that ARY decided not to run it, but the tape immediately became a hot potato and was soon in tremendous demand from all interested parties,” South Asia Tribune reported.Hafiz Hussain Ahmed confirmed the story of the censored TV show to South Asia Tribune. It quoted him as saying that he was shortly going to protest to the ARY TV Channel for not running the interview, as the minister had repeatedly said that it was the official government policy. “The minister agreed with all the points that I raised and all the arguments for jihad that I made and concurred that it was jihad being fought by Muslims in Iraq and the Pakistani government supported it. I was so surprised that I told him on record that if this is the meaning of enlightened moderation of General Musharraf, we (the MMA) are with you and kon kambakht mukhalifat kar sakta hay (which Godforsaken soul can oppose it),” it quoted him as saying. “ARY officials in Dubai and Islamabad refused to say why the interview had not been shown but Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said he would be protesting to the channel and urging them to release the tape as it would open the eyes of the world,” South Asia Tribune reported. “When Hafiz Hussain Ahmed started asking questions about the interview, the secret service got wind of what had happened and immediately demands were made from the ARY administration to let the authorities have a copy of the dreaded tape,” it said. “Surprisingly, the London headquarters of the MQM also got wind of what had happened in the interview and Altaf Hussain, who had already summoned Aamir Liaquat Hussain to London, also started looking for a copy of the tape,” it added.
South Asia Tribune quotes US diplomatic sources in Islamabad as telling it that they had heard about the interview and that they would like to hear the tape and what the minister had said about President Musharraf’s policy about suicide attacks by Zarqawi’s men on US forces. It quoted sources as saying later that Pakistani authorities had informed the US diplomats about the contents of the interview and everyone might soon be watching the tape of the interview. “Whether President Musharraf, Altaf Hussain or the US diplomats have received the cassette and heard Dr Aamir’s comments or not is not yet confirmed, but experts in Islamabad said it is only a matter of time that everyone concerned will hear what this outspoken minister had to say and then the chips would fall where they may,” it added. South Asia Tribune quotes sources close to Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, who heard the minister in awe during the interview, as saying that the minister had become emotional while talking about jihad and suicide bombings and was grilled by the host of the programme, Dr Shahid Masood, who almost trapped him into making statements which no politician in such a high political position would make.
It quotes the sources as saying that Aamir had openly criticised President Musharraf for his pro-US policies and had fully supported the jihadis in Iraq, Palestine and Kashmir, but at the same time he had insisted that suicide bombings in Pakistan were against Islam. “‘Anywhere, if there is one American soldier present, suicide bombing is permissible in Islam,’ Dr Aamir was quoted by these sources as having said on record. ‘There are times when the truth must be told,’ he added in one remark,” South Asia Tribune reported. “The minister was the main sponsor when about 50 Pakistani religious leaders issued the fatwa against suicide bombings in Pakistan, which according to some analysts, was done to please President Musharraf. But in his exuberance the minister was caught on the wrong foot when questioned by ARY and Geo TV Channels about such attacks in Iraq and other places,” it added. South Asia Tribune quoted sources in London as saying that MQM Chief Altaf Hussain had already been told by the army to name a replacement for the minister, as he had become too controversial and out-spoken in his remarks and it was difficult to keep him at the cabinet post.
“The London sources also revealed a shocking story about Dr Aamir’s brother, Imran Liaquat Hussain, who studied in Iran and later declared himself an ‘Ayatollah’ opposed to the clerics of Iran,” it said, adding, “Dr Imran was arrested in Iran and later came to Karachi where he took up a fight with MQM Chief Altaf Hussain and declared him ‘an agent of Iran, and a mafia don’. He also issued a fatwa calling for Altaf Hussain’s death and accused the MQM of Wall Street Journal’s journalist Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping and murder.”
“He claimed that the MQM was getting funds from Iran,” South Asia Tribune said.
“In response to his statements in 2002, Altaf Hussain pressured his father, who was also a senior MQM leader to disown his son and Sheikh Liaquat Hussain did exactly that, saying the statements issued by his ‘Ayatollah’ son were stupid, misleading and provocative and he as his father had nothing to do with these views of his son,” it added. “Imran Liaquat Hussain also has a website where he has numerous press clippings of his war against the MQM and its leader Altaf Hussain. He also supported President Musharraf in the 2002 referendum,” it reported. URL: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2005%5C05%5C26%5Cstory_26-5-2005_pg7_45
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