Chesterton had said, “I would hate to see a man in uniform make a speech, more so, if it is a good speech.” ‘Sir Walter Scott had said, “However disciplined and valiant a soldier he never be trusted.” H G Wells had said, “A professional military mind is by necessity an inferior and unimaginative mind; and no man with talents willingly imprison his gifts in such a calling.” Bertrand Russell had said, “All Generals are narcissistic and they have no sense of history.” Bernard Shaw said, “Soldiering is the art of the coward of hitting mercilessly when strong and getting out of the harms when weak.” Tolstoy had said, “The greatest Generals I have met were all stupid and absentminded men”. Napoleon had said, “The more vicious the man the better the soldier.” He again said, “I had picked up my Marshals from the mud and gutter”. Johnson had said, Soldiers and priests have been the corrupter of the earth.” On 21 September 2014 former Army Chief of Pakistan, General ® Mirza Aslam Aslam Beg while giving an interview to a Private TV Channel in Pakistan opined that behind these Protests of Dr Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan , there is an International Conspiracy and involved USA, UK, Canada, Vatican, and last but not the least Iran without bothering about the history of his own statements which he issued in the past.
Not in a very distant past the same Mirza Aslam Beg convened a meeting at the residence of Qazi Hussain Ahmed (Former JI Ameer) and met with noted JI Leaders, PTI Leaders and even PML-N leaders as well as noted Journalists and Retired Generals and last but not the least Roedad Khan (who recently joined the Fascist Brigade of Imran Khan) to discuss the Misrule of PPP and how to get rid PPP govt by writing a letter to former Army Chief Kayani and that is not the end , this group was hell bent to create a situation to make judiciary pass an order to army to enforce its writ via using article 190 of the constitution and establishing a caretaker setup for a limited period (no such thing exist in the Law and Constitution of the Land). I wonder what the key journalist was thinking when he interviewed the General? Because the same anchor and journalist used an example for the General in 2011 which I cannot even mention here, the whole interview was one big sick joke with the nation and TV Channel made a circus of itself by pulling a stunt like this. Pakistan since decades has been facing severe surge in Sectarian Killing and rapidly vanishing space for diversity and pluralism yet General Aslam Beg has the audacity (and Anchor didn’t even contest him) to mainstream the Extremist Takfiri mindset by saying that “people are maligning those who follow correct interpretation of Islam by labeling them as Takfiris”. General should have read ISPR Press Conferences on Zarbe Azb and news as how these Takfiris in KPK and FATA played havoc with Pakistan. Pakistan’s relations with Iran due to our alleged strategic depths of using Sectarian Mullahs, are at the lowest ebb and General involved Iran behind Dr Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan without any giving cogent evidence whereas in the past the same General was the biggest supporter of Iran , so much so that he advised Iran to attack Israel if Iran is Attacked. General Beg had conveniently forgotten what he himself wrote on Iran by praising the took over by Mullahs as Islamic Revolution and now Mr Beg is trying to define “Correct beliefs of Islam”, please do note that General Mirza Aslam Beg and General Hamid Gul have been part of a Rabidly Sectarian outfit Difa-e-Pakistan Council and even participated in their rallies despite the presence of most wanted terrorists in those rallies.
Since 1979 thousands of people died in Pakistan due to Afghan Fiasco and particularly after 911 Pakistan gave sacrifice of 50,000 lives due to War on Terror and its consequences and one of the reason of this loss is the alleged Strategic Depths of General Mirza Aslam Beg but he has the audacity to condemn Secular Class of Pakistan by involving them in the same International Conspiracy which is his very own brain child. Recently and even during the peak of Movement against General Pervez Musharraf, he always suggested that Musharraf be provided a safe exit and also opined that any Trial against Musharraf would be detrimental and army won’t allow it and even when the several Upright Ex-Military Officers support the trial against Musharraf , Beg always takes a quick and silent exit from any such commitment but he time and again blame Musharraf for the several disaster in Pakistan since 1999 and one of the issue is of Dr A Q Khan and Nuclear Proliferation and what tragedy we have that he is blaming and involving Iran in a conspiracy against Pakistan whereas he and Dr A Q Khan were blamed for passing out Nuclear Technology to Iran (check the references in the end). More ironic is when he blames MMA (Alliance of Religious Parties and allies of Mushharaf from 2002 to 2007 ) that this was created by General Pervez Musharraf and Mr Beg Conveniently meet with the same MMA Leaders like Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Senator Khursheed Ahmed . I wont be quoting on Mehran Bank Scandal because enough has been written on it and matter is Subjudice but would say that a man like General Mirza Aslam Beg could have been better for Pakistan , had he restricted himself to his professional duties in 1988 and wrapped up the mess created by General Zia (whose son blames General Mirza Aslam Beg for his father’s death) but General added fuel to the fire by sabotaging the democracy in Pakistan by using MQM against PPP in Sindh and by involving Institutions like ISI in Domestic Politics and that too in a worse possible way that it has become a topic of newspapers/media all over the world because when you suggest to a sitting Prime Minister that you need permission to smuggle drugs to support covert operation then what else you expect other than condemnation and Infamy. General Beg often claims that he was one of those officers who were trained by the US CIA to defeat communism! If that was the training then I must say that Langley should review their Training Manual.
References
General Zia: His Winged Death And The Aftermath by Sayid Ghulam Mustafa Shah
'We have tapes of Azim Tariq and Imran Farooq from the MQM meeting an Army commander in Hyderabad before the incident, showing there was total connivance. We know too that the curfew was broken with the aid of local commanders and army trucks were used to transport snipers' - authors interview with Tariq Rahim about the Pucca Qila massacre - Waiting for Allah : Another Pakistan
http://takhalus.blogspot.com/2012/03/waiting-for-allah-another-pakistan.html
Saleem Safi Column in Daily Jang wherein he used a proverb for General (R) Mirza Aslam Beg which cannot be even translated in English Sunday, July 24, 2011, Shaban-ul-Muazzam 21, 1432 A.H http://jang.com.pk/jang/jul2011-daily/24-07-2011/col2.htm
2009: Saturday, September 05, 2009: MQM was established to counter Sindhi nationalists: Beg - LAHORE: Former army chief Mirza Aslam Beg said on Friday the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was established as a political measure to counter the Sindhi nationalist movement following the hanging of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Talking to a private TV channel, Beg said the MQM did not exist before 1978 and was established on the directions of General Ziaul Haq, then military ruler, only to counter Sindhi nationalists who had lost Bhutto after Zia’s military coup. He said the caretaker government under Ghulam Ishaq Khan had decided to support the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) to counter the PPP in order to balance the political atmosphere. “I think the formation of the IJI was a right decision at the time,” he said. Beg said the IJI were the only means that could create a strong opposition at the time. He said former president Pervez Musharraf had created and supported the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and the PML-Q to prolong his term in office, but no one had pointed that out. Beg said he believed the Bahawalpur plane crash that killed Gen Ziaul Haq was “sabotage”. REFERENCE: MQM was established to counter Sindhi nationalists: Beg Daily Times Monitor
Saturday, September 05, 2009 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C09%5C05%5Cstory_5-9-2009_pg7_4
Nonetheless, after the PPP’s victory, the ISI never ceased trying to
unseat Benazir Bhutto. In October 1989, at the instigation of Hamid Gul
and in an operation named Midnight Jackals, the ISI tried to sway PPP
members of the National Assembly to back a no-confidence vote against
Bhutto and managed to convince the Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM; its name was changed later to Muttahida Quami Movement) to switch its support from the PPP to the opposition. The Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM) emerged on the Pakistani political scene in March 1984 from among the cadres of the former graduates of the University of Karachi known as the All Pakistan Mohajir Students’ Organization, which had been established in June 1978. Soon the new organization became a force to reckon with in Karachi, thanks to the availability of weapons owing to the Afghan war and the
encouragement of the intelligence agencies, which were trying to curtail the influence of the PPP and Sindhi nationalists. Although it owed its political existence largely to the military and the generous support of the ISI, the MQM has also been the target of the agency at times. When it became troublesome in the urban centers of Sindh in the late 1980s, the ISI armed some of the Sindhi nationalist
groups to fight the mohajirs and later managed to create a split within the
MQM itself. In December 1991, three dissidents of the MQM—Afaq Ahmad, Aamir Khan, and Badar Iqbal—received the support of the ISI, then led by Lieutenant General Asad Durrani, the idea being that “the MQM could be brought to heel only by terrorizing the terrorists.” The now two MQM groups soon were at loggerheads. The split was followed soon thereafter by a direct confrontation between the Altaf faction and the army. In 1992, the army extended an operation initially aimed at dacoits (bands of armed robbers) in rural Sindh to cities known to be MQM strongholds. Subsequently the MQM was forced by the military and the ISI to withdraw from contesting the 1993 national elections. This marked the beginning of the degeneration of the organization. By 1994, the MQM was no more than a label for a number of gangs
loosely hanging together. Violence constantly increased, claiming a thousand lives in 1994 alone. Peace was progressively brought back to Karachi by Interior Minister Nasrullah Babar in 1996. MQM continued to decline as a consequence. REFERENCES : ISI and the MQM: A Case Study - Reforming the Intelligence Agencies in Pakistan’s Transitional Democracy Frédéric Grare http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/pakistan_intelligence_transitional_democracy.pdf
In 1990, Brig Saeed said, the MQM had quit the ruling coalition and PPP workers resorted to taking revenge from MQM for their political betrayal through the use of force. The MQM reacted even more violently through their armed political workers. PPP, MQM, PPI, JI and JSM activists were relentlessly killing each other. The daily death toll was 100-110. PSF, APMSO, IJT and JSQM had held activists of their rivals hostage and committed horrendous and inhuman atrocities on them like drilling holes in knee joints and burning their delicate parts with electric soldering machines.
Brig Saeed said he had held meetings with late MQM leaders Tariq Azeem, Dr lmran Farooq and Saleem Shahzad, Prof Ghafoor of JI, Dr Hameeda Khuhro and Mumtaz Bhotto of JSF, Abdul Waheed Aresar of JSQM and Mukhtar Awan of PPI and gave them a strong message that if they did not stop killing, arson and looting, the army would be forced to step in to restore peace. Initially, the belligerent forces denied their involvement in the unlawful activities, but when irrefutable evidence of their crimes was produced, they took the warning more seriously. Within one week killings reduced drastically from 100-110 a day to 20-30, the statement said. REFERENCE: Asghar Khan case verdict: An interesting peek into minds of then military bosses http://dawn.com/2012/11/09/sc-verdict-in-the-asghar-khan-case-an-interesting-peek-into-minds-of-then-military-bosses/
13 spymasters gather to stare at each other ISLAMABAD, Oct 8 It was an unusual dinner hosted by Javed Noor, the chief of the Intelligence Bureau, at a “safe house” of the civilian spy agency that brought together 13 former spymasters of the country. Sources told Dawn News television channel that none of the former spymasters opened up as they were probably suspicious of each other. The dinner, in sector F-7 of the federal capital, was arranged at a time when cracks are visible in civil-military relationship over the Kerry-Lugar legislation, but one of the participants insisted that during the entire evening none of the participants discussed this issue. The sources said that all the spymasters sat on sofas in a relatively big hall. At first soup was served as an appetiser.
No reason was given for this unusual gathering, but a source present at the dinner said the present Director-General of IB, Javed Noor, who is a grade 22 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), arranged this dinner in the hope of setting a new tradition. No such get-together had happened in the IB`s 62-year-long history.
The gathering brought together a number of important characters who have been privy to some of the defining moments in the nation`s turbulent past. Perhaps the most well-known among them was Brigadier (retired) Ejaz Shah, who is regarded as one of the closest friends of former president Pervez Musharraf. Many believe that he had played a vital role in bailing out Mr Musharraf in the recent past, especially in the face of calls for his trial under article six of the Constitution.
Ejaz Shah`s presence at the meeting was significant for another reason — he was the man accused by the late Benazir Bhutto of hatching conspiracies against her. According to sources, Ejaz Shah spent most of his time with Col (retired) Iqbal Niazi. However, he also met Major Masud Sharif Khatak, another former IB chief who served under the second Benazir government. Mr Sharif is now being ignored by the Pakistan People`s Party simply because of criticising the party`s role during the pro-judiciary movement. When this correspondent approached Ejaz Shah, he refused to divulge any information about the dinner or his past role, saying he was bound by the official secrets act. The sources said that Masud Sharif shared a sofa with Maj-Gen (retired) Talat Munir, who served under the Musharraf government until Oct 2002 — when a civilian set-up was established after the general election. The man to succeed him was Col (retired) Bashir Wali, who was Mir Zafarullah Jamali`s nominee for the chief. The sources said Bashir Wali, who was replaced by Ejaz Shah, met all the participants, but avoided chatting up Ejaz Shah.
Most of the time he was seen talking with his old friend, Col (retired) Iqbal Niazi, another ex-IB chief who had served under Nawaz Sharif. Dr Shoaib Suddle, the incumbent`s predecessor, also graced the occasion. Best known for honesty and uncompromising nature, Dr Suddle is currently serving as federal tax ombudsman.
He used the opportunity by sharing memories with Chaudhry Manzoor, another spymaster who headed the intelligence bureau during the premiership of Nawaz Sharif. REFERENCE: 13 spymasters gather to stare at each other By Azaz Syed http://archives.dawn.com/archives/44377
Brig (retired) Imtiaz Ahmed, aka Billa, who recently grabbed headlines by making revelations on television about the wheeling and deal during the 1990s, also attended the dinner. Imtiaz relived the past with Masud Sharif. Both of them refused to make any disclosure. Brig Imtiaz, who was IB chief during the first Nawaz Sharif government, sat beside Maj-Gen Rafiullah Niazi, the man who replaced Masud Sharif and put him behind bars. Rafiullah Niazi was probably the only individual present at the dinner who had two stints as chief of the intelligence agency _ once under Nawaz Sharif and later under Pervez Musharraf. The sources said an interesting moment came when Col (retired) Iqbal Niazi, who headed the IB when Gen Musharraf overthrew the Nawaz government on Oct 12, 1999, came across Rafiullah Niazi, who replaced the former on that fateful day. Gen (retired) Niazi is known for passing on a controversial intelligence report about the first US missile attacks in Balochistan to prime minister Nawaz Sharif and was removed later. He again took over after Mr Nawaz`s removal. Last but not least, a word about the menu. Chinese cuisine dominated the table. But rice, kebabs, chicken boti and kheer were also present to lend a local flavour. The dinner ended with the serving of green tea. Most of the invitees were seen lighting their favourite brands of cigarette. REFERENCE: 13 spymasters gather to stare at each other By Azaz Syed http://archives.dawn.com/archives/44377
ISLAMABAD: Gen. Jehangir Karamat, former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Pakistan
army, said that to transform from a national security state to a social welfare state, Pakistan will have to increase the number of stakeholders in the power sharing
arrangement by devolving powers to the lower levels as well as among institutions. He
was the main speaker at a roundtable on “South Asian States turning into Security
States and its Larger Implications” organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) here on Wednesday. Gen. (Retd.) Karamat defined national security state as a state with inordinate resource allocation towards defense at the cost of social welfare, and said that India was gradually moving away from being a national security state on that account. Pakistan, on the other hand, according to Gen. (Retd.) Karamat, is still quite defense-oriented and, thus, rooted in the national security paradigm. He attributed Pakistan’s national security concerns to its history, unresolved border disputes with India, internal problems such as insurgencies, and the recent emergence of trans-border issues, such as terrorism. REFERENCE: Report: Roundtable on “South Asian States Turning into Security States and its Larger
Implications” with Gen. (Retd.) Jehangir Karamat, former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Pakistan army http://www.irs.org.pk/reports/Report_021512.pdf
Please note how Several noted and leading Top Pakistani Journalists present Villains and Criminals as Heroes in their Columns and TV Programs rather they go to extent to justify Murder.
General (R) Mirza Aslam Beg in Jirga - 1 (GEO TV 4th Sep 2009)
2008: Jihad only way to liberate IHK: ex-generals * Claim there will be no solution to Kashmir issue while Musharraf is in power RAWALPINDI: Retired army generals said on Tuesday that jihad was the only way to liberate Kashmir. Addressing a seminar on Kashmir Solidarity Day at a local hotel, they said the faulty policies of President Pervez Musharraf over the past eight years had moved the Kashmir issue to the backburner. They said it would remain unresolved while he was in power. They showered praise on sacked chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for dispensing justice to the masses and Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan for turning the country into a nuclear state. They demanded that both men be released from detention promptly. General (r) Mirza Aslam Baig, General (r) Faiz Ali Chishti, General (r) Hameed Gul, General (r) Jamshaid Gulzar Kiyani, General (r) Asad Durrani, General (r) Sardar Anwar Khan, General (r) Abdul Qayyum and General (r) Ali Quli Khan and former bureaucrat Roedad Khan were prominent among the participants of the seminar, which was organised by the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society. The participants later rallied outside the hotel to show solidarity with the Kashmiris fighting Indian forces in the held valley for freedom. Former Steel Mills chief General (r) Abdul Qayyum claimed that Kashmir could only be liberated by waging jihad. REFERENCE: Jihad only way to liberate IHK: ex-generals * Claim there will be no solution to Kashmir issue while Musharraf is in power By Terence J Sigamony Wednesday, February 06, 2008 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C02%5C06%5Cstory_6-2-2008_pg7_41 ISLAMABAD: General (r) Mirza Aslam Baig, former chief of army staff, on Wednesday confirmed that Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed used to run a militant camp in Rawalpindi. He told Daily Times that being the army chief, he had received information about the camp where militants used to receive training. “The abandoned camp still has the signboard of Freedom House,” he said.He said the camp was established during the rise of an armed struggle in Kashmir, but was closed down in 1991 when the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif found out about its existence. Asked to comment on the denials issued by the foreign office and Sheikh Rashid himself about the camp, the former army chief said: “I am telling you what I have in my knowledge.” Ex-generals, politicians confirm Sheikh Rashid ran militant camp
By Shahzad Raza Thursday, June 16, 2005 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_16-6-2005_pg7_57
General (R) Mirza Aslam Beg in Jirga - 2 (GEO TV 4th Sep 2009)
Afaq says he, Altaf got money from Younus ISLAMABAD: Mohajir Qaumi Movement’s chairman Afaq Ahmed admitted on Monday that he had received Rs5 million from Younus Habib in 1993, long after he along with several other leaders had parted ways with the party led by Altaf Hussain. He claimed that Mr Hussain had also received Rs5 million from Mr Habib in his presence and that former army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg was present on the occasion. Addressing a press conference, Mr Ahmed said he was presenting facts before the media so that it could highlight them without any fear. He accused the Muttahida Qaumi Movement of being involved in extortion and issuing threats to all segments of society in Karachi. “I have told this to the media in Karachi too but they do not have the courage to carry such things,” he said. Mr Afaq said Karachi was a part of the country but policymakers generally thought that negotiating with Mr Hussain was the only way to move ahead because of his influence in the city. He said it was imperative to clear the city of weapons for peace and tranquillity. “We will try to bring religious, nationalists and political groups to one platform for peace in Karachi.” In reply to a question, Mr Ahmed said that if new provinces were made on an ethnic grounds then it would be a never-ending process that might lead to disintegration of the country. REFERENCE: Afaq says he, Altaf got money from Younus A Reporter 20th March, 2012 http://dawn.com/2012/03/20/afaq-says-he-altaf-got-money-from-younus/ الطاف حسین بھتہ لیتے ہیں: آفاق احمد آخری وقت اشاعت: پير 19 مارچ 2012 , 13:46 GMT 18:46 PST http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2012/03/120319_afaq_ahmed_tf.shtml
General (R) Mirza Aslam Beg in Jirga - 3 (GEO TV 4th Sep 2009)
Hameed Gul admits he formed IJI Sunday, August 30, 2009 : ISLAMABAD: Former chief of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen (retd) Hameed Gul on Saturday disclosed that the PPP could have got landslide victory in 1988 elections, if the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) had not been formed. Talking to a private TV channel, he said: ìYes, we had such reports and apprehension of massive PPP victory.î Gul said they feared that the PPP was returning to power after the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. I take the responsibility of forming the IJI, though it was not my idea,î Hameed Gul said. He said that even during Benazir Bhutto’s first visit to the ISI headquarters he told her about his role in forming the IJI. “We wanted the PPP opponents who had affiliation with the GHQ to unite them on one platform,” Gul said. He said ‘emergency’ was one of the options in 1988 after General Zia ul Haq’s plane crashed, but it was decided to go ahead with November 16 election despite request from opponents of the PPP to postpone it. He disclosed that even former Soviet Union sent a message to Pakistan that the 1988 elections could be sabotaged. Gul said: “This is for the first time I am disclosing that former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev sent his envoy with a message regarding apprehensions of sabotaging the 1988 election through foreign intervention.”
He said he was not aware of the conditions to hand over power to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, but said he was asked to brief her before she was handed over the power. “Benazir wanted a briefing from the Establishment so I was sent for this purpose and the meeting took place at her friend’s house in Karachi, which lasted over two hours, and I told her that the Afghan Jihad had not ended yet. There were two or three other things, which I briefed her and she said she understood the situation,” he said. He denied “Midnight Jackal” as intelligence plot and said it was Imtiaz’s personal plan. “No agency was involved but Imtiaz himself,” Gul said. The ex-ISI chief denied he ever sent a message to MQM chief Altaf Hussain to join IJI and rejected the allegation of former Intelligence Bureau director, Brig (retd) Imtiaz. “I never sent Imtiaz to Altaf with a message to join IJI but to express concern over allegations of collection of ìBhattaî by some elements,” he said. He predicted the victory of Afghans in Afghanistan and the US exit, but expressed concern over post-US Afghanistan situation and said a weak government was going to be set up there. “We failed to give up political system in Afghanistan after Soviet Union left and now I don’t see much will happen after the US exit, but Afghans will win,” he added. REFERENCE: Hameed Gul admits he formed IJI Sunday, August 30, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=24196&Cat=13&dt=8/30/2009 REFERENCE: Pakistan's ex-spy chief rebuffs Gul's remarks Author: Azhar Masood I Arab News Tuesday 28 July 2009 http://www.arabnews.com/node/326561
2009 How a jilted Karachi woman saved Pak N-programme Rauf Klasra Thursday, May 28, 2009 : ISLAMABAD: As the nation celebrates the eleventh anniversary of Pakistan’s nuclear tests today (May 28), a shocking 30-year-old secret has been exposed. It reveals how a young woman college lecturer, feeling betrayed after a romance with a nuclear scientist of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), had given a lead to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in 1978, which in turn had led to the dramatic arrest of 12 Pakistani scientists and engineers, planning to sabotage Pakistan’s nuclear sites at the behest of a superpower. The startling spy ring was exposed by this female college lecturer of a Karachi Memon family to the then head of ISI Sindh Brig Imtiaz Ahmed (Operation Midnight Jackals fame), only because she wanted revenge from her lover for being unfaithful. The expose led to the arrest of Pakistani scientists who were later given death and life imprisonment sentences by the special tribunal set up by the then president General Ziaul Haq. Brig (retd) Imtiaz Ahmed broke his silence of over 30 years to share this amazing operation with The News on the eve of the 11th annual celebration of Pakistan going nuclear. He said that while many people take credit for saving our nuclear programme, no one actually knows how an unsung jilted girl had actually ended up saving Pakistan’s nuclear project out of sheer vengeance. Brig (retd) Imtiaz Ahmed served as director in charge Internal Security ISI for several years in Islamabad and later director general Intelligence Bureau (IB) in the first government of Nawaz Sharif. The then prime minister Benazir Bhutto had put him in jail for about three years on charges of being part of the operation to oust her in 1989 during her first government. Later, General Musharraf also put him in jail for four years till his acquittal by the Lahore High Court. He is the only spymaster of Pakistan who was jailed for eight years, after serving 15 years in the ISI and the IB. Read Complete Story: Reference: How a jilted Karachi woman saved Pak N-programme Rauf Klasra Thursday, May 28, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=22396&Cat=13&dt=5/28/2009
2009 The politics of Brigadier ‘Billa’ Tahir Hasan Khan Monday, August 31, 2009 : Brigadier (Retired) Imtiaz, also known as “Billa” is not new for the people of Sindh. He was Sindh ISI chief when political activist Nazeer Abbasi was murdered and a PIA plane was hijacked in early 80’s. The purpose of the murder of political activist Nazeer Abbasi was to warn political workers and the hijacking incident was to sabotage the MRD (Movement for Restoration of Democracy) action launched against Gen Zia-ul Haq. As a result of his work, Billa was promoted as brigadier in the army..
Predictably, his services were terminated in the first tenure of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Mian Nawaz Sharif who was the then chief minister of Punjab, however, appointed Billah as his security adviser and later made him IB chief when Sharif became prime minister in 1990. The disclosure of a secret visit of Imtiaz Billa in Sindh in 1992 was reported in this newspaper and I was very much under pressure when this was published. There was a warning for me not to publish such reports about the IB chief’s secret activities in Sindh. The purpose of the secret visit was to convince the MQM to withdraw its support to Jam Sadiq Ali, a nominee of then President Ghulan Ishaq Khan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not happy with Jam Sadiq and was in favour of Liaquat Jatoi, a finance minister in Jam Sadiq’s cabinet.
Ironically, Jatoi was dismissed by Jam Sadiq after his activities were disclosed by the intelligence agencies to the CM. It was the cold war between President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif which eventually led to the military operation in Sindh. Nawaz Sharif had the backing of Chief of Army Staff Gen Asif Nawaz who launched the operation. Kidnapping for ransom was at its peak at that time and the federal government blamed most of the sitting provincial ministers in Jam Sadiq’s cabinet who were said to provide shelter to dacoits and criminals. The military operation was seen as the only solution against dacoits. But the operation was diverted and re-launched against the MQM to crush the party. This changed the whole political culture of the Sindh and a politics of hate was generated in the province. Four democratic governments (two each by Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto) were dismissed due to such operations and General Asif Nawaz and his team were held responsible for this damage. A number of youth were killed in the operation while the law and order situation remained very disturbed in this time. There was also a flight of capital from Sindh to Punjab. The role of the intelligence agencies is not new neither is it a secret. PPP’s founder chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the 70s blamed the agencies for funding politicians in the election against him in Sindh and Punjab. Sindh was the main target of the intelligence agencies and the purpose of all plans and conspiracies was against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and the PPP. The state sponsored actors were behind the formation of Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) and then the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) against Bhutto and Benazir and huge funds were distributed among the politicians. Politics is still hostage in the hand of ‘State Sponsored Actors’. These actors have absolute power and funds. They were free to do whatever they want. There is no law and restriction for them and they openly and proudly boast of their crimes. There is no punishment for these characters from any quarter. The disclosures of Brig Imtiaz are not new. Perhaps Pakistan is the only country in the world where the “state sponsored actors’ always act against the popular political forces. Everybody knows the role of all dictators from General Ayub to General Pervez Musharraf and the victims who are popular political forces like the PPP, the MQM and the PML from Muhammad Khan Junejo to Nawaz Sharif. Conspiracies hatched by General Ayub, General Yahya, General Ziaul Haq, General Aslam Baig, General Asif Nawaz and General Pervez Musharraf against the elected and political leadership are neither secret nor new. The tactics of every dictator was different but they used the intelligence agencies (state sponsored actors) to damage the political leadership and system as well. A few newspapers published stories about these conspiracies in the past but the majority of the media has avoided to publish these facts because they were very much under pressure from these state sponsored actors. Now it is time for the electronic media and the disclosure of these state sponsored actors on TV channels is a surprising development, especially for students of political science and political observers. There must of some reason behind the activities and disclosures of state sponsored actors. Read Complete Story: Reference: The politics of Brigadier ‘Billa’ Tahir Hasan Khan Monday, August 31, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=195836&Cat=4&dt=8/31/2009
Brig Imtiaz defends agencies’ non-cooperation with UN mission Editor Reporting Sunday, April 25, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Former spymaster Brig (retd) Imtiaz Ahmed has defended the purported decision of the Army leadership and intelligence agencies to keep themselves at a distance from the UN investigation team which had probed the circumstances leading to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, adding, however, they are not immune to domestic investigations if so required. Giving his reaction to the contents of the UN report in which it was stated that Pakistani intelligence agencies did not cooperate with the three-member inquiry commission, the former IB chief said to justify the decision of secret agencies not to cooperate with the UN commission, may not come as a surprise for many, keeping his own association with intelligence agencies at top positions for several long years — first in the ISI and then in the IB. Commenting on the contents of the report, Brig Imtiaz said it was neither an investigative nor fact finding document, and at best it was only a ‘collation’ effort of all the tangible or intangible events, tale telling narrations in circulation ever since the occurrence of the tragedy. He said this document in his estimation was a ‘cover-up’ of some core ‘actors’ (foreign and domestic) who come in the cross line of the circumstantial and ground evidence as well as regional scenario. Brig (retd) Imtiaz said the return of Benazir Bhutto to Pakistan was consequential to a tripartite understanding, if he may call it an agreement, between America, Pervez Musharraf and the late Benazir Bhutto. The NRO was also part of the same concession given to Benazir. He claimed this agreement carried political advantage for Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf. Brig (retd) Imtiaz said Benazir upon her return to Pakistan rightly grasped the ground realities and decided to put her complete political force behind the then ongoing historic movement for the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. The former brigadier believed she showed the red rag both to America and Pervez Musharraf, who could no longer allow this fatal end to their game plan. In this perspective, Brig (retd) Imtiaz said authors of the UN report had no other option, but to divert this critical dimension of the assassination to beef up certain other inconsequential facts and to give a colouring to malign our ‘prime intelligence agencies’ who have been always their target on the basis of fabricated and groundless arguments. He said the provision of security umbrella to Benazir Bhutto, who had twice remained prime minister and enjoyed the prominence of national and international recognition, was the sole responsibility of Pervez Musharraf which in this case was amazingly not only invisible but rather seemed to facilitate the perpetrators of the crime. He asked why was the route of Benazir’s return changed in a surreptitious manner? The box type mobile security covers (four security vehicles) were not provided to her vehicle, no arrangements for emergent availability of ambulance vehicle were made. Autopsy constitutes a critical step in criminal investigation and it was the legal obligation of the senior police officer present on the site to give in writing to the medical authorities to go ahead with prompt autopsy irrespective of the absence of immediate response from Dubai. He said the disappearance of the important party personalities in Benazir’s follow-up vehicle from the site of the incident warrants precise answers. REFERENCE: Brig Imtiaz defends agencies’ non-cooperation with UN mission Editor Reporting Sunday, April 25, 2010 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=28488&Cat=13&dt=4/25/2010
2009 Brig Imtiaz’s arrest demanded for communist leader’s murder * Widow says her husnband ‘killed after torture’, has proof of Brigadier Imtiaz’s involvement: The family and comrades of the late Communist Party leader Nazeer Abbasi, on Sunday demanded a retrial of Abbasi’s alleged killers and the arrest of Brigadier (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmed, former Director-General, Intelligence Bureau (IB), in the case.
Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Sunday, Abbasi’s widow Hameeda Ghanghro, Prof. Jamal Naqvi, and Kamal Warsi who were detained along with Nazeer Abbasi allegedly by the intelligence agencies during Gen. Zia’s rule, urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice of the case. Mrs Abbasi recalled that the case was reopened in 1994 during second tenure of the Benazir Bhutto government, and, during preliminary investigation, it was revealed that Brigadier Imtiaz Ahmed had killed her husband. Nazeer Abbasi was detained and killed in August 1980. She said that the post-mortem examination report had confirmed that Nazeer Abbasi was killed because of extensive torture. She added that, after the overthrowing of the Benazir government, the case was put in cold storage. Prof. Jamal recalled that after the “murder” of Nazeer Abbasi, pictures of Nazeer and five others, including him, were published in newspapers to show that “we are alive.” He said that Abbasi’s photograph was published in the newspapers but the caption did not give his name. He said that when their pictures were taken, they were in state of unconsciousness because of torture. Kamal Warsi alleged that Brig. Imtiaz had himself interrogated him and his colleagues on assumptions that they were working on a “foreign agenda.” Hameeda Ghanghro (Mrs Abbasi) said that she had lodged an FIR of the case in August 1980 after eight days of her husband’s death and had nominated the then military ruler Gen. Ziaul Haq and the then Governor Sindh S.M.Abbasi. She claimed that Benazir Bhutto herself had informed her that Brig. Imtiaz was involved in the murder of her husband in 1990s and she had issued a statement on that occasion that Brig. Imtiaz should be nominated and arrested in the case. She said that the proceedings into the case had started on 17th August 1980 before a local court in the city but it was suddenly stopped. She urged the government to initiate an inquiry against Brig. Imtiaz on charges of killing her husband and spreading anarchy and undermining democracy in the country. She also urged the Supreme Court to take suo moto notice of the case. She urged the government to set up a commission to hold an inquiry into role of Brig. Imtiaz for undermining democracy in the country. REFERENCES: Custodial death of Nazeer Abbasi our correspondent Monday, August 31, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=195828&Cat=4&dt=8/31/2009 Brig Imtiaz’s arrest demanded for communist leader’s murder * Widow says her husnband ‘killed after torture’, has proof of Brigadier Imtiaz’s involvement By Amar Guriro Monday, August 31, 2009 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C08%5C31%5Cstory_31-8-2009_pg7_11
2009: Brig Imtiaz reveals CIA plots Ansar Abbasi Tuesday, September 01, 2009 ISLAMABAD: Former spymaster Brigadier (retd) Imtiaz Ahmad, whose recent statements caused ripples in the country’s political arena, now talks of a much serious issue ñ Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He claims to have foiled two American CIA plots to sabotage the country’s nuclear programme. While serving for the ISI, he recalled, he had conducted the operation ‘Rising Sun’ in 1979 that successfully thwarted a CIA plot to target Pakistanís nuclear programme. The operation concluded with the arrest and conviction of a Pakistani CIA agent, declaration of a few undercover CIA agents and US diplomats as personae non gratae and their return. In the second case, Brigadier (retd) Imtiaz said, he, as the Intelligence Bureau chief, had discovered another CIA plot being operated through a third country mainly to hit the countryís nuclear programme. Talking to The News here on Monday, Brigadier Imtiaz said that in the late 70s, the CIA spotted one Rafiq Munshi, a graduate of Karachi University, and took him to the US to be trained on nuclear technicalities and intelligence skills. Later, he got appointed in Kanup Karachi as an engineer. It was in 1979 when he was launched back by the CIA with a mission to penetrate into the country’s nuclear network with two clear objectives. Firstly, to provide them (CIA) information about the nuclear programme’s development, security and protection measures for the nuclear installations and identification of nuclear scientists working on sensitive assignments. Secondly, he was assigned to create an opportunity, when given signal, for a technical sabotage of certain nuclear installations.
Imtiaz said that Rafiq Munshi was provided substantial financial aid and was made to operate in close coordination with a few special CIA operators, who were undercover agents and working under diplomatic cover in the US embassy in Islamabad and its consulate in Karachi. Imtiaz said during those days he was posted in Karachi as a Lt-Colonel and the ISI chief in Sindh. After getting the clue of the plot and personally monitoring it for several months, he disclosed, he conducted the operation ‘Rising Sun’.
He said that the operation was conducted in a very secret manner and it was only between him and the then DG ISI Maj General Riaz Muhammad Khan as to what was going on against the countryís nuclear programme.
“I fell impelled to pay greatest tributes to the then DG ISI Maj General Riaz Muhammad Khan, who not only encouraged me but also gave me complete authority to fearlessly conduct the operation,” Imtiaz said, adding that the operation that consumed 8-10 months finally ended up successfully with the arrest of Rafiq Munshi from Karachi while the undercover CIA agents were returned to Washington after being declared as personae non gratae.
According to Imtiaz, he was later summoned by the then ruler General Ziaul Haq, whom he briefed on the operation ‘Rising Sun’ and its outcome. “After hearing all the details, General Ziaul Haq immediately went to another room to talk to the US president. And what I assessed from his body language as soon as he returned after making the telephone call was a clear message that Zia had lodged a forceful protest with the Americans over its plot against Pakistan’s nuclear programme.”
Brigadier (retd) Imtiaz said that he was decorated with Sitar-i-Rasalat for foiling the CIA plot. However, he said, Rafique Munshi, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, was released during Benazir Bhutto’s first government and got closely associated with the Pakistan People’s Party.
Talking about the second CIA plot targeting Pakistanís nuclear programme that he had successfully foiled, he said that he did it during his stint as DG Intelligence Bureau in Nawaz Sharifís first tenure and at a time when tension between the then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan and PM Nawaz Sharif was at its peak.
Sharing the details of the plot, he said that he got a clue about an individual, who was in contact with an Islamabad-based ambassador of a European country, which was operating for the CIA as a third country. “I personally got in contact with the individual and made a concerted effort to motivate him to work in the national interest instead of becoming an agent of the countryís enemies.” Imtiaz said that he had succeeded in persuading the individual, who later agreed to work for Pakistan as a double agent and for the same reason, the ex-DG IB said, he was duty bound not to disclose his identity. The retired brigadier said that through briefing and debriefings of the same individual, who was nick-named as “Star”, he came to know about the details of the plot that was being hatched against Pakistan by the CIA.
Imtiaz disclosed that “Star” was taken to the US where he had received instructions as how he was supposed to operate. Heavily financed, “Star” when came back told the IB chief in his debriefing that he was assigned multiple tasks but the topmost assignment was to find out complete details of the deficiency in the security system of Pakistanís nuclear programme, the exact location of strategic arsenals and the nature of their security arrangements and weaknesses. “Star”, he said, was also asked to create a favourable lobby in the corridors of power to seek policy decisions on the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspiration of Washington. Imtiaz said that “Star” was also asked to fuel regionalism with focus on the activation of the demand for the creation of a Seraiki province. In this regard, Imtiaz said, “Star” was to create an NGO based in Islamabad and having branches in Bahawalpur and Sindh. Imtiaz said that one more assignment given to “Star” by the CIA was to weaken the extreme emotional attachment of the common Pakistanis with Islamic values. He said that his interaction with “Star” continued and the latter was successfully working as a double agent for Pakistan till the dismissal of the Nawaz Sharif government, which also led to his immediate resignation. Imtiaz said that on the basis of his each and every interaction with “Star”, he used to make his hand written notes all of which were saved in the safe of the DG IB. Later, what happened to those notes, Brigadier Imtiaz does not know. He, however, said that “Star” later left Pakistan and got settled in a foreign country. “Star”, according to Imtiaz, had offered his cooperation on the condition that he would never be handed over to any other IB operator. REFERENCE: Brig Imtiaz reveals CIA plots Ansar Abbasi Tuesday, September 01, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=24241&Cat=13&dt=9/1/2009Hamid Gul: I am being demonized by Jews Author: Azhar Masood | Arab News Monday 27 July 2009 http://www.arabnews.com/node/326516
2009: Only bean-spilling spooks can tell why By Zaffar Abbas 2009 ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 Brigadier (retd) Imtiaz Ahmed, or others like him who served in the security services over the past three decades, may alone know the real reason for re-igniting the controversies regarding their role in the making and breaking of political parties, alliances and governments, and of institutionalising corruption in the country`s politics.
It is unclear whether this was his intention but the retired brigadier, known as Imtiaz `Billa (the cat)` in the army circles of yesteryear, has done one great service to this nation.
Through his confessions, which he proudly describes as `revelations`, he has revived memories of some of the worst transgressions of the law and violations of norms of decent conduct and human rights by the intelligence agencies. Particularly during the dreaded rule of the dictator Gen Ziaul Haq during the late `70s and early `80s.
As these revelations jog one`s memory, one is propelled back in time to the period when Imtiaz Billa`s name had become synonymous with dirty, horrible, tactics in dealing with Zia`s political opponents. During this period, arrests, torture and even death in custody of political opponents dubbed Indian or Soviet agents, had become the order of the day.
As the re-emergence of the
debate takes some of us down the memory lane, an unforgettable reference comes to mind when `Imtiaz Billa` came to be known among the communist and other left-wing activists as `butcher`.
Tasked by Gen Zia to eliminate anyone or everyone who had even tenuous links with the otherwise tiny communist movement, Billa and his men took upon themselves the task of hunting down those associated with groups viewed as pro-Soviet.
Basking in the glory of having earned the support of the United States because of the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, Gen Zia wanted to pursue his own agenda of Islamisation by neutralising all who may have represented socialist or secular ideals.
Noted journalist Sohail Sangi, one such victim of the security services, recalls that in those days Imtiaz Billa was either posted in Karachi or, as an ISI colonel, was supervising the anti-communist operation in Karachi and elsewhere in Sindh province.
It was during these days in August 1980 that a group of left-wing activists approached a few journalists at the press club in Karachi to seek their help in highlighting the news of death in custody of communist student leader Nazir Abbasi.
Abbasi had died during torture as attempts were made to extract information from eight prominent members of the defunct Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP). The news had come out once his body was handed over to his relatives for burial, but the newspapers were unable to publish the reason for his death because of strict censorship.
As Professor Jamal Naqvi, one of the arrested communist leaders, later mentioned in his testimony during the famous `Jam Saqi trial`, it was Nazir Abbasi`s death that saved the rest of the detainees from further torture, as they were soon shifted from a military interrogation cell to a Karachi prison.
Even during the military trial the actual case that the intelligence agency had framed against Jam Saqi and his comrades was not about their involvement in promoting Soviet communism in the country but of working for the Indian intelligence to topple Gen Zia`s military regime.
Prof Naqvi, Jam Saqi and also others like Sohail Sangi, Jabbar Khattak, Kamal Warsi and Shabbir Sher are around to testify to the horrors of that dark period.
Then there were many other cases against nationalist leaders like Rasul Bux Palijo or communist activists like lmdad Chandio and scores of others that were all fabricated so that those charged could be kept away from mainstream politics.
Hijacking case
The ISI`s political cell under Gen Zia had acquired a much bigger role with the hijacking of a PIA plane by the so-called Al Zulfiqar in 1981. This incident gave a new lease of life to Gen Zia, as he used it to his advantage to allow the intelligence to round up thousands of political activists in the country – perhaps the biggest crackdown since the mass arrest of political activists to coincide with Mr Bhutto`s hanging. Also, Brig Imtiaz Billa is once again trying to make a big thing of the so-called conspiracy hatched by Ghulam Mustafa Khar to topple Gen Zia`s regime. At one point, noted lawyer and activist Raza Kazim was also implicated in the case, and so were a number of junior officers.
In this case too they were accused of having links with RAW. None of them ever denied having worked to remove Gen Zia, but for `Billa` and others the easiest thing was to link them to India to justify their military trial.
`American agent`
Perhaps the most bizarre of such incidents was the arrest of a trade union leader in Karachi, Rafiq Safi Munshi on the charge of being an American agent. A few months ago Imtiaz Billa `disclosed` in a newspaper interview how he trapped an `American agent` who was passing on nuclear secrets in Karachi to his `handlers` at the US consulate.
Many may differ with the Rafiq Safi`s style of politics, but the fact is that he was associated with the PPP, and was a prominent leader of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation`s (KESC) trade Union, and was not working at Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (Kannup) as the retired brigadier had portrayed. Even otherwise, what has Kannup plant got to do with Pakistan`s nuclear weapons programme?
But in the martial law period the arrest of any opponent of the military junta was justified, and branding them as Indian or Soviet, or in one case, even American, agent kosher.
Special courts
What helped the junta more was a blanket news censorship and holding of trial in summary and special military courts, whose verdicts were often written before the start of the case proceedings.
It will be quite interesting to find out that in many cases the only crime of such left-wing activists, including many professors of Quaid-i-Azam University, was secretly publishing anti-Zia literature.
The role of the military intelligence services in former East Pakistan is often described as the worst as in those days hundreds disappeared and popular opinion was suppressed by arresting and trying Awami League leaders as foreign agents.
But a close study of Gen Zia`s days, and the powers that were given to people like `Billa`, or the entire ISI under first Generals Ghulam Jilani and then Akhtar Abdur Rehman and finally Lt-Gen Hameed Gul, may show how blatantly they violated the law and human rights.
Probe commission
Now that Brig (retd) Imtiaz has himself decided to spill the beans, perhaps, as many believe, to defame a few more politicians, there are some quarters who argue that democracy will be served better if the politicians collectively demand a high-powered commission to probe into the role of the intelligence services in the country`s politics, particularly during the days of Gen Ziaul Haq and beyond.
Politicians may or may not have taken money from the ISI or Intelligence Bureau. But if a former ISI chief, Lt-Gen (retd) Asad Durrani, accepts he distributed money among a large number of politicians, and if Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Gul boasts of forming an anti-Benazir Bhutto opposition alliance, or if Brig (retd) Imtiaz goes on television to accuse Ghulam Mustafa Khar of taking Rs5 million for his election campaign, then there are enough grounds to initiate proceedings against them and others for subverting the democratic process in the country.
Perhaps, the best person to head the commission would be Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan, as he is the one who had approached the Supreme Court to expose the role of the ISI in the country`s politics. And if the present Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani is to be believed about having disbanded ISI`s political wing, it will be fair to assume he will have no objection in a public discussion about the intelligence agencies` dubious political role in the past. At a time when the military is battling forces of religious extremism and militancy, the irony won`t be lost on the leadership that under a different regime it was their own colleagues who tried to crush those representing more tolerant political thought. REFERENCE: Only bean-spilling spooks can tell why By Zaffar Abbas 2009 http://archives.dawn.com/archives/37099
A colonial mindset was once again reflected in Altaf Hussain’s remarks on Wednesday. There was the usual attitude of looking down upon the people of Sindh who welcomed millions of refugees with open arms in 1947 and offered them shelter and opportunities to prosper. That Altaf Hussain continues to insist on calling the newcomers Mohajirs even after sixty four years is indicative of a continuous bias against integration with the local population. The attitude is reminiscent of the British racism of the colonial era when the inferior ‘natives’ were considered intellectually and culturally backward. The white masters were supposed to bring fruits of civilisation to their uncivilised subjects while maintaining a distance from them. The condescending attitude of the MQM and its sympathisers has naturally alienated the local Sindhis and raised walls instead of breaking them down. The attitude is considered an insulting expression of racial superiority. That the remarks by Altaf should have come at this crucial juncture when Karachi is passing through a bloodbath is highly disturbing. Calling the pre-partition Sindhis the ‘slaves of Hindu Banias’ Altaf ranted, “We have given you independence and a free country.” He then put the rhetorical question, “Which country have you liberated with your own struggle?” Now this is falsifying history. At a time when Jinnah was badly in need of help, the Sindh assembly was the first provincial legislature to pass a resolution in support of Pakistan. The resolution provided much needed backing for All India Muslim League’s demand for a separate homeland. To say that Sindhis did nothing for their province is yet another falsification of history. Sindhis fought bravely against the advancing British troops. Hoshu Shidi’s war cry of “Sar daysun, Sindh na daysun” (I’ll give away my head but not surrender Sindh) in the battle of Dabba fought in 1843 is duly recorded in history. Pir Sibghatullah Rashidi, the father of the present Pir Pagara, led the Hur insurgency against the Raj and was hanged for the act in 1943 by the British government. It was on account of the efforts of the Sindhi Muslim politicians that Sindh, which had been amalgamated into Bombay soon after the British takeover, achieved the status of a separate province and joined the struggle for Pakistan. Altaf Hussain has also rebuked what he calls the “conscienceless writers” and “analysts teaching false history.” This indicates that Altaf has a tendency for amnesia. When he said on Wednesday that 20 lakh Mohajirs offered their lives for the creation of the country and left their hearths and homes, he conveniently forgot that the worst sufferers from communal riots in 1947 were the Muslims in East Punjab. Those who migrated from East Punjab as a result of the riots became integrated in the local population across the border in no time. They subsequently neither called themselves Mohajirs, nor did they make tall claims about the ‘sacrifices’ they had rendered. Let alone fighting the local population, they became an indivisible part of it. The MQM has confined the term Mohajirs to include only those coming from provinces not contiguous with the borders of Pakistan. Thus people migrating from UP, Bihar and CP mainly are included in the term. Despite their dominant position in the civil service and a share in the armed forces jobs much above their population ratio, a narrative of their deprivation has been constructed. REFERENCE: Living in the past? By:Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/?p=110604
Altaf Hussain (MQM) Racist Comment ( SAMAA TV 3-8-2011)
Altaf has also raised the issue of quotas, accusing the Sindhis of depriving the Mohajirs of educational facilities and jobs. The qouta system is by no means confined to Sindh. Even in Punjab, quotas have existed on the basis of the rural/urban divide. Separate quotas for Muslims, he needs to be reminded, was a major demand of the Muslim community in India. This is by no mean an unusual thing in the contemporary world where proactive policies are often devised for the uplift of the neglected communities. Two forthcoming challenges will test if the party is willing to change its narrow outlook which has led to confrontation and blood shed. The first is the Population and Housing Census scheduled for 12th-27th September this year. Unlike what the party did during the House Listing operation conducted earlier this year, it has to avoid trying to engineer results in accordance with its wishes. While there may be a need to regulate the unhindered inflow of population in Karachi from outside Sindh, all genuine residents have to be counted correctly. Any attempt to doctor the census results would further lead to the deterioration of the law and order situation. The next test would come when the Election Commission starts delimiting the constituencies. At this stage too, no attempts have to be made to interfere in the process. The MQM needs to come out of its cocoon, shed ethnic prejudices and become a part of the Sindhi community. What is more, it needs to reconcile with the changing ethnic realities of the province. REFERENCE: Living in the past? By:Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/?p=110604
ISLAMABAD: Mohajir Qaumi Movement’s chairman Afaq Ahmed admitted on Monday that he had received Rs5 million from Younus Habib in 1993, long after he along with several other leaders had parted ways with the party led by Altaf Hussain. He claimed that Mr Hussain had also received Rs5 million from Mr Habib in his presence and that former army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg was present on the occasion. Addressing a press conference, Mr Ahmed said he was presenting facts before the media so that it could highlight them without any fear. He accused the Muttahida Qaumi Movement of being involved in extortion and issuing threats to all segments of society in Karachi. “I have told this to the media in Karachi too but they do not have the courage to carry such things,” he said. Mr Afaq said Karachi was a part of the country but policymakers generally thought that negotiating with Mr Hussain was the only way to move ahead because of his influence in the city. He said it was imperative to clear the city of weapons for peace and tranquillity. “We will try to bring religious, nationalists and political groups to one platform for peace in Karachi.” In reply to a question, Mr Ahmed said that if new provinces were made on an ethnic grounds then it would be a never-ending process that might lead to disintegration of the country. REFERENCE: Afaq says he, Altaf got money from Younus A Reporter 20th March, 2012 http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/20/afaq-says-he-altaf-got-money-from-younus.html الطاف حسین بھتہ لیتے ہیں: آفاق احمد
THATTA, March 25: A complete strike was observed across Thatta district and a procession was taken out in Pano Akil on Sunday to condemn death threats given to two women MPAs. Sindh Culture Minister Sassui Palijo and MPA Rai Naz Bozdar have received letters asking them to leave Karachi or face death. The letters, issued by so-called ‘Muhajir Province Liberation Army’ were delivered at their residences through courier services. The strike was observed in Thatta, Makli, Gharo, Mirpur Sakro, Gujjo and Dhabeji and other towns in the district. Main commercial centres, shops and different factories remained closed. Activists of Pakistan People’s Party, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz and other nationalist parties took to the streets and burnt tyres on roads resulting in suspension of traffic on the National Highway and other roads. The protesters were wearing black armbands. Ms Sassui told Dawn that the letter she had received on March 24 contained threats and was a reaction to the adoption of a resolution in Sindh Assembly on March 9 against any move aimed at dividing Sindh. She said she was also receiving threatening emails and text messages on her personnel mobile phone. Sindh, she added, had a history, culture, heritage and distinct territorial boundaries which would remain intact and all conspiracies to divide the province would foil. Talking to reporters at the Sindh museum in Hyderabad, Ms Sassui Palijo said: “We will never be intimidated by a handful of disgruntled people.” Ms Palijo said she had received her education in Karachi and had been living there for a long time. Sindh belongs to all the people living in the province and Karachi is also a city of all the people. She said she had passed on the threatening letter to the chief minister who had directed police and other law-enforcement agencies to investigate the matter. She said that Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan had also been informed about the threats. She said MQM had repeatedly declared that it was against division of Sindh. She said that during the days of General Zia the issue of Jinnahpur had been raised to fuel ethnic riots in the province. But the people of Sindh will unite to thwart all such conspiracies. Pano Akil protest Thousands of people, including activists of political parties, traders and social welfare organisations took out a procession and demonstrated in front of the press club in Pano Akil for several hours. They were protesting against a similar threatening letter received by MPA Rai Naz Bozdar. The procession from Bozdar House marched to the Shah Latif Chowk. Speaking on the occasion, former MPA Ghulam Mustafa Bozdar, local PPP leader Rasheed Korai and presidents and general secretaries of different trade organisations, said the elected representatives of Sindh were being threatened by a political party. But they said they were not afraid of such threats because PPP members and its leaders had faced many such problems in the past and also sacrificed their lives. They said they would retaliate if elected representatives, including Rai Naz Bozdar, Sassui Palijo and Shazia Mari, were harmed in any manner. MPA Rai Naz told Dawn from Karachi on phone that she had received the threatening letter through a courier service. She said that the letter was written by one Tipu Sultan, chief of the so-called “Mohajir Province Liberation Army” and sender’s address was Liaquatabad, Karachi. She said that contents of the letter show the sender had information about her and members of her family and warned her of dire consequences if she did not leave Karachi. Ms Rai Naz said she would not hesitate to sacrifice her life for the cause of Sindh and Sindhi people. She said PPP leaders had always sacrificed their lives for the cause of people and she was ready to follow them. REFERENCE: Threatening letters sent to Sassui, Rai Naz evoke strong reaction Dawn Report Metropolitan > Karachi 26th March, 2012 http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/26/threatening-letters-sent-to-sassui-rai-naz-evoke-strong-reaction.html
Befitting Reply of MQM to Stephen Sackur in BBC HARDtalk Part 1
KARACHI Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has said that `international powers` had in the past tried to eliminate the MQM through the Pakistani establishment, but now they were trying to get rid of him. In an open letter to party workers, which was also released to the media on Sunday, Mr Hussain said that `international powers` could eliminate him anytime and they (MQM workers) should be mentally prepared for such an eventuality. He said that he had given a philosophy and ideology for struggle against generals, feudal lords and chieftains who assumed “power through unfair means”. He said it was not only the aristocracy which benefited from the mediaeval system, but international powers also used it to their advantage. “International powers used the Pakistani establishment which includes the army, ISI and other powerful agencies to eliminate the MQM. When these forces failed to achieve their objective through conspiracies and barbarity and by slaying thousands of MQM workers, international powers are now trying to eliminate Altaf Hussain,” he said in the letter. Mr Hussain said the murder of Dr Imran Farooq was a link in the chain and news analysis and columns published in the international press gave a clear indication about which party and personality were being targeted. He referred to the BBC programme “Hard Talk” in which the host asked coordination committee member Mohammad Anwar why the MQM leader (Mr Hussain) had not been removed. “This has implications for the situation… what was the purpose of this question?” Mr Hussain said he did not have strength to withstand the might of powers and, therefore, workers should be mentally prepared for any eventuality because of “these powers can eliminate Altaf Hussain anytime”. “If I am assassinated, it would be your duty to carry forward the mission, and objectives and to disseminate my ideology and teachings by sacrificing your personal interests and remaining united,” he said. The release of the letter was followed by an MQM statement condemning the nefarious plan to eliminate its chief. It called upon the British government to provide adequate security to the MQM leader in London. This was the crux of a meeting of the MQM coordination committee held simultaneously in Karachi and London on Sunday, said the statement. It said that after the assassination of Dr Farooq, a conspiracy was hatched to malign the MQM and its leader Mr Hussain, triggering concern among MQM supporters and workers worldwide. “The coordination committee reposed full confidence in the leadership of Mr Hussain and resolved that they would remain committed and continue their struggle under him.” Altaf accuses foreign powers of plotting to eliminate him By Azfar-ul-Ashfaque September 27, 2010 http://archives.dawn.com/archives/42857
Befitting Reply of MQM to Stephen Sackur BBC HARDtalk Part 2
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
Punabis, Pakhtoons Arrested in Simultaneous Raids 92AS I I6 7E Islamabad THE MUSLIM in English Jul 92 p I2 [Article by Suleman Raja] [Text] Karachi, June 30—In an early morning swoop several offices of Punjabi-Pakhtoon Ittehad [PPI] in different parts of the Sindh capital were raided by the members of the law-enforcing agencies. Vital records were seized and the offices were sealed. The raids were conducted simultaneously. A number of PPI activists were also picked up during these raids. However, the persons on the most wanted list remained untraceable. A senior official of one of the federal agencies involved in the ongoing operation clean-up revealed that they had information that PPI had also allegedly set-up torture cells. But no such cell was unearthed so far. He said most of the PPI offices were functioning under cover. lt was, therefore, difficult to locate all of them. Some of their offices, he added, were located in car showrooms, estate agency offices and many of them were traced while there were still many more which would be raided once information was received about them. Raids also continued to track down the MQM [Muhajir Qaumi Movement] activists who have also gone underground to escape arrest. Meanwhile, MQM-backed MNA [Member of National Assembly] Kanwar Khalid Younus was picked up by the members of the law-enforcing agency from North Nazimabad on Monday. According to sources, he was arrested in connection witha murder case. The Mayor of Karachi, Dr Farooq Sattar, has complained that one of his attendants, namely Javed, was kidnapped allegedly by the supporters of the dissident group from his house located in the PIB Colony. However, the New Town police when contacted informed that they had no information about any such incident and till Tuesday afternoon no report about the incident had been reported. The police continued to register cases against the top leadership of the MQM on the complaints of individuals. The complaints were mostly of torture, kidnapping, extortion, and rape. The Karachi police also picked up several criminals from different parts. According to APP, Curfew would be relaxed from 5 am to 10 pm in all the curfew-bound areas of Karachi tomorrow. ARMS LICENCE: A high-level inquiry has been ordered into the issuance of thousands of arms licences to different persons in the troubled Sindh province during the last few years. Highly placed sources, while talking to THE MUSLIM, further revealed that thousands of arms licences including those of prohibited bore were issued by the Sindh-based MNAs. Meanwhile, according to federal agency sources, they have seized a large number of “blank forms of arms licences” from the MQM office located at Al-Karam Square which is also popularly known as No 89. It was revealed that these seized forms were signed by various competent authorities but there was no mention of any names of any individual and as such they were blank. Sources pointed out that there existed a possibility that after the completion of inquiry, several arm licences issued to different persons would be cancelled. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
Analyst Views Causes of MQM Downfall 92ASI243D Karachi DAWN in English 22 Jun 92 p I3 [Article by Ayaz Amir. “A Fresh Twist to a Tangled Tale”] [Text] Sindh’s capacity to surprise is seemingly inexhaustible. Barely a few days ago, when the army operation was being lambasted from all sides for its ineffectiveness, who would have thought that the breakaway faction of the Muhajir Qaumi Movement [MQM]— which calls itself MQM Haqiqi—would take on the main organisation and seize many of its offices? In the fighting that ensued, about eight people were killed and many more injured. Large parts of Karachi are under curfew, and army jawans are patrolling the streets. When Altaf Hussain, the MQM leader, who for unknown reasons, has been holed up in London for the_ last nine months, met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the Dorchester Hotel, the TV cameras could not hide the worried and even distraught look on his face. . This move on the part of the MQM dissidents, at a time when the army is in the midst of an operation to restore peace in Sindh, fuels suspicion that they could not have acted without receiving some kind of a goiahead from some powerful quarters. What lends strength to this feeling is the fact that whereas after Friday’s clashes, the MQM leadership was nowhere to be" seen, having apparently gone into hiding, Aamir Khan and Badr Iqbal, two of the main dissidents, were freely speaking to the Press. When Jam Sadiq Ali waschief minister, the MQM used state power to crush its opponents. Now state power (in a slightly different form) is being used to squeeze, if not crush the MQM. This is how times change. The MQM has lived by the sword and now it is having to contend with the sword. Try as one might, it is hard to brush aside the thought that there is an element of grim justice in the development.
Whatever else may be unclear about events in Karachi, one thing is certain. This is the most serious challenge the MQM is facing since its inception, far more serious than anything it had to face during the PPP [Pakistan People‘s Party] govemment. Against extemal threats, the MQM could and did present a united front. Dealing with a revolt from within its own ranks is an altogether different matter. None of which alters the fact that there has been nothing like the MQM in our political history. The first time anyone outside Karachi heard about it was in late 1986 when an MQM procession going to Hyderabad was fired upon from the Pathan enclave of Sohrab Goth. From then on, its rise was meteoric. In 1987, it swept the local elections in Karachi and Hyderabad. In the 1988 general elections, it won all but a few of the national and provincial seats in these cities. Its decision to support the PPP was a factor in Benazir Bhutto’s selection as prime minister. When the MQM turned against the PPP, Karachi quickly became an ungovemable city. Curfews were frequently imposed and troops had to be called out to maintain law and order. Unrest in Sindh, especially Karachi and Hyderabad, was a factor in Benazir Bhutto’s dismissal from the prime ministership.
Classified By: Charge d`Affaires Peter Bodde, Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) 1. (C) On June 1, Charge met with Minister of Ports and Shipping (and MQM member) Babar Khan Ghauri to discuss the May 11-13 violence in Karachi. Ghauri said the Karachi violence had “killed” the MQM`s chances of gaining voters in Punjab province. The party was focusing on repairing its reputation in Karachi and Sindh. 2. (C) According to Ghauri, police and Sindh Rangers were stationed at key “buffer” points in Karachi on May 12, anticipating clashes between opposition and MQM activists. At around 2:00 a.m., the officers abandoned their positions. (Note: The Rangers, like the Karachi police, might have been under local orders not to intervene (ref A). End Note.) Ghauri reported that on May 13, after a phone call with Governor of Sindh Ishrat-ul-Ebad, President Musharraf ordered police and rangers onto the streets in Karachi. Ghauri also said Musharraf asked PML-Q coalition partners to maintain a public posture that would not cause undue political damage to the MQM. Regarding whether MQM head Altaf Hussain played any part in planning the violence, Ghauri said “No, absolutely not. We were trying to expand into Punjab; how would we have benefited from this?” (Note: Reliable Embassy and Consulate Karachi contacts believe that at the very least Hussain suspected there would be violence on May 12 and supported the MQM counter-rally in any case. End Note.) 3. (C) Comment: Ghauri confirmed what in-country MQM leader Farooq Sattar told us in a May 17 phone call (ref C): the events of May 11-13 in Karachi deeply wounded the MQM. Ghauri noted several times during the meeting that his party`s leadership felt “alone” and that they were worried the PML-Q would abandon them. Indeed, a number of PML-Q contacts privately tell us they believe MQM was culpable for the events, and the PML-Q should distance itself from the MQM to prevent damage to its own reputation. Nevertheless, President Musharraf and some other government officials continue to blame the opposition and Chief Justice for the May 12 violence. Given that much of the public and media believe the MQM principally responsible for the violence, Musharraf`s position could exacerbate his political problems. End Comment. BODDE. REFERENCE: 2007: Babar Ghauri said May 12 violence killed MQM`s chances in Punjab From the Newspaper May 31, 2011 http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/31/2007-babar-ghauri-said-may-12-violence-killed-mqm-s-chances-in-punjab-2.htmlWiki Leaks on Karachi Violence: 2009: US assessment of Karachi violence DAWN.COM May 23, 2011 http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/23/2009-us-assessment-of-karachi-violence.html Wiki Leaks: 2008: MQM told US 'stop ignoring us'From the Newspaper (14 hours ago) Today http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/28/2008-mqm-told-us-stop-ignoring-us.html
In the 1990 elections, the MQM improved its performance in Karachi and Hyderabad. Its support was crucial in Jam Sadiq Ali’s election (or whatever it was) as chief minister. In return, the MQM got a virtual stranglehold over the Sindh govemment. Its writ ran unchallenged in Karachi and Hyderabad. In these two cities nothing could be done against its wishes. ‘ Whatever happens now, the MQM has left a deep imprint on the politics of Sindh. It gave a sense of identity to the poorer sections of the Muhajir community and a sense of purpose to Muhajir youth and even Muhajir women who became active participants in all the MQM’s mass activities. The MQM_was also able to rid Karachi and Hyderabad from the baleful influence of religious parties like the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, which till the MQM’s rise to promi- nence, dominated the politics of these cities. By sending lower middle class representatives to the assemblies, the MQM set a healthy precedent in national politics. But if this is the bright side of the MQM’s record, there is a dark side to it as well. The MQM has thrived on violence and has used strong-arm tactics, including, incredibly, the use of torture to frighten its opponents and also to keep its own suPDOrters in line. During clashes between MQM and PPP activists when the PPP was in power, hostages from either side were subjected to unspeakable brutalities. Finally, it was the army which had to step in and arrange an exchange of hostages. Within the MQM, the price of dissent has been very high. There have been persistent rumours that the organisation has been running torture chambers to punish and break outspoken malcontents. When the so-called Haqiqi leaders developed differences with the MQM’s central leadership, Karachi was no longer a safe place for them. They had to flee elsewhere to safeguard their lives. The MQM also broke the power of the Karachi Press. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
Successful attempts at disrupting the distribution of newspapers compelled most, although to their honour not all, Karachi-based papers to heed the MQM’s sensibilities if not outrightly to toe its line. Independent reporting about the MQM virtually came to an end. As a result, most Karachi papers looked no better than regional papers. While these strong-arm methods proved of great help to the MQM in tightening its grip over Karachi and Hyderabad, it had the adverse effect of isolating it from liberal and enlightened opinion throughout the country. True, at the national level, it was in alliance with the IJ I [Islami Jamhoori Ittehad]. But with the PPP no longer in power, the bonds holding the MQM and the IJI together began to loosen. Punjabi MNAs [Member of National Assembly] and ministers in frequent contact with the MQM could be heard complaining about the arrogance of the MQM leaders and their limitless demands. All these factors point to the MQM’s isolation—to the fact that outside its own constituency of supporters it had few sympathisers. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
But with all this, the MQM could have lived. Its most grievous error was to eam the animosity of the army. It is true that at some stage in its development the army, or some adventurous sections of it, had helped build the MQM as a counter-vailing force to the PPP and, strange as it may sound, to the Jamaat-i-Islami whose street power was a source of concem to General Zia. But if the army had to restore peace in Sindh, sooner or later it was bound to come into conflict with the tiger it had helped create. The MQM brought that day nearer. The incident that stands out in this connection, and which really stirred feelings within the army against the MQM, was the abduction and reported torture in June last year of an army ofiicer and some soldiers in plain clothes while they were on duty in Landhi (at a time when clashes were taking place between the MQM dissidents and activists loyal to the MQM proper). The MQM MNA who reportedly supervised this action became the special object of the army’s ire. Matters were only exacerbated by the stand-off in the Karachi Steel Mills earlier this year when the new chairman of the mills (a serving general) took steps to reduce the number of casual workers said to have been recruited on political grounds.Arrogance in power has thus been the MQM’s single greatest liability. Had it opted for a moderate course, it could have made itself more acceptable to a wider audience outside its power base in Karachi and Hyderabad. But for an organisation which turned political violence into an art form, moderation was not an easy act to follow. There was also another problem. Moderation would have implied a slight opening up of the MQM’s tightly-sealed structure. It would have also meant some tolerance of internal dissent—a difficult proposition for a secretive organisation nin almost on KGB principles. It is still too early to say what the future has in store for the MQM. But this much can perhaps be said: the very factors and the very instruments which were crucial to its rise are now playing no small part in the troubles threatening to swamp it. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
MQM Will Survive 92AS1240A Karachi DAWN in English 29 Jun 92 p 20 [Article by Shaheen Sehbai: “MQM Will Not Die Politically: Azhar”] [Text] Islamabad, June 28—The MQM [Muhajir Qaumi Movement] move to resign from the assemblies would prove its strength in the parliament, despite the crush MQM operation, but it may also prove counter productive, the only MQM legislator available, Senator Ishtiaq Azhar said on Sunday. Speaking to parliamentary reporters in the cafeteria, Senator Azhar said it would become evident in a day or two how many of the MPAs [Members of Provincial Assembly] and MNA [Member of National Assembly] have submitted their resignations on the call of the MQM central committee.
“Yes it would damage the MQM if not many of them resigned” Senator Ishtiaq Azhar said, adding: “attempts are being made to purchase the MNAs and MPAs.”
“That is why the high command has decided to ask all of them to resign and has dissolved all organisational cadres,” he said.
The Senator was grilled by newsmen asking all kinds of questions, specially about the reported visit of MQM Minister Islam Nabi with the Prime Minister to Uzbekistan, despite his reported resignation. “I am surprised at Mr Nabi’s decision to go with the PM [Prime Minister] and I am sure when he retums, he would be asked by the high command,” he replied. But he was not sure whether Mr Nabi would come back. “Frankly I do not know because we have had no contact,” he said. The'Senator said he was feeling uncomfortable sitting on the Treasury benches after the MQM decision to quit the coalition govemment, but he was waiting for the decision of Mr Altaf Hussain to ask the Senators to resign as well.“Surprisingly, I have been invited to the IJI [Islami Jamhoori Ittehad] parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday moming, probably because we were coalition partners, but I would not be attending the meeting as we have nothing to do with the IJI,” he said. The Senator also clarified that he was neither a member of the MQM nor any office holder at any level.“ I am President of the Mohajir Rabita Council and l was asked to become a Senator for MQM which I accepted and I won,” he said. Questioned about the torture cells that had been discovered by the army in Karachi, Senator Ishtiaq Azhar said he had no knowledge of these cells but asked newsmen to think why all these cells were being discovered in those areas where the MQM rebels had their strength. “Probably these rebels had set up these cells and they are now taking the army to expose them. They have found no such cells in Federal B Area, Nazimabad and such places where MQM was strong,” he said. He said the MQM leaders feared victimisation and hence they had gone underground, but he was not afraid as “I have done nothing wrong. If they want to arrest me they can, I am prepared.” The Senator said politically MQM would not die with these actions and when the time comes, we would decide whether to contest the byelections or not. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
Details on Torture Cells 92ASI240C Karachi DAWN in English 25 Jun 92 pp I, 8 [Article by Ghulam Hasnain: “MQM’s (Muhajir Qaumi Movement) Biggest Chamber of Torture”] [Text] Karachi, June 24—Imagine a small deserted room—one of the 50 similar rooms—full of dust. Imagine a person walking through the dust and mistakenly kicking up a lump on the floor, scaring away a bunch of ants, and imagine picking up that thing out of curiosity and finding out to his horror that it was a chopped off nose to a human being who had recently been there.I wish I had not been there. It has been almost 12 hours since I visited this torture house and I am still feeling sick in the stomach. And I am not alone, for my feeling was shared by the newsmen and photographers who visited the infamous and one of the worst and biggest torture houses of the city in Landhi on Wednesday. Commonly known as “Chaowani,” the torture chamber was once the hostel of a technical institute and later abandoned. It was converted into a private jail and torture cell by the MQM to punish political opponents. As one enters this complex, one finds a huge steel structure, 40 feet long, l2 feet wide and 12 feet high, erected in the centre of the compound. Five nooses of nylon and other ropes were hanging from the roof structure. Alongside the structure were scattered iron bars, metallic chains and gadgets used for torture. One side of the cell was reserved for shooting. One of the nearby walls has a warning written on it, asking the guards to use silencers during practice. At the far end, there was open space surrounded by small bushes and plants. In the middle was a huge tree with an old noose hanging on it. The noose was blood-stained and some particles of what obviously was human skin. Though the rooms were dusty and dirty, the prisoners left some signs of their miserable existence on the walls. In some of the rooms, phone numbers were scratched on the walls with the help of stones, charcoal and nails. The prisoners probably wrote these in the hope that if they died, someone else who escaped from the cell might convey information to their families.
Some of the rooms have blood stains. About half a dozen women and some boys who had noticed a huge convoy of military vehicles coming outside the Chaowani came up at the cell to tell of their horrifying ordeals to journalists. Prior to arriving at Chaowani, the newsmen were taken to the MQM sector office in Landhi to show a torture cell set up in one of the rooms of the office. Over 40 women of all ages were already present there when the convoy of newsmen and photographers reached there. It seems that all of them had gathered to moum the death of their dear ones. Rabia Begum whose young son, Mohammad Arshad, was shot dead last year, soon after his retum from America along with MQM dissident leaders, was crying and screaming for help and justice. “We were not allowed to attend even the burial of Arshad and he was buried without any religious ceremonies or shroud.” Same is the case with Mrs Tahira, whose husband Haider Ali, was kidnapped and later shot dead in front of an armoury shop in Saddar.
Another young lady whose husband, Mohammad Yousuf, is still missing was again and again requesting the army officials for the recovery of her husband. A young man, Jawed, who was brutally tortured in the sector office, took me to a comer and showed me one of his testicles bumt during interrogation. Besides, his entire body had scars. Besides Jawed, there were some other young men whose legs were damaged or broken during interrogation. And there were scores of women who had lost their men during the last few months because of political differences.
As the women were disclosing their ordeals to the Press, a young girl, probably in her 20s, was quietly standing in the far-end of the room watching the aggrieved women surrounded by the media. “Have you also lost someone?” First she tried to avoid the question and then suddenly broke down. “I came to enquire about the video cassette.” Elaborating she said that her video film was made by the activists before she was dishonoured. “l heard that a number of video cassettes were recovered from White House (Landhi sector office),” she remarked. As the conversation was going on, a young man appeared and took the women with him to another room. The torture cell set up in the sector office was full of various equipments used for torture. Drill machines, sulphuric acid, nails, metallic chains, hammers, scissors and other such gadgets including a steel structure where the prisoners were tied and given electric shocks. The women and young men who came to the White House to brief the joumalists, claimed that a secret force called “Kharkar Force” was active in the MQM to punish the political opponents and those who were accused of violating party discipline.
It was an elite force of MQM, and even the sector chiefs did not know who was in the Kharkar Force. The Force was directly operated by the Markaz and Dr Imran Farooq was in charge of it, they claimed. One of the dissident leaders, who told the Press that the White House was set up one and a half years ago, was embarrassed when an old lady interrupted him during the speech and reminded him that she had been watching him there for the last four years. “My son was always seen with you, tell me where he is,” the old lady said. The scenes at the torture cells brought tears to the eyes of all, including joumalists and army officials. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
Dissidents Share Guilt 92ASI240D Karachi DAWN in English 25 Jun 92 p I6 [Editorial: “Who Bears Responsibility for These Horrors?”] [Text] The horrifying tales pouring out of Karachi of what the MQM [Muhajir Qaumi Movement] was up to, of the torture chambers it ran and how it dealt with dissidents, make spine-chilling reading. What is the proper reaction to them? One of anger, horror or plain, dumb silence? And is this enough to make up the loss of those people who suffered at the MQM’s hands or whose near and dear ones were scarred or consumed in the flames of its various houses of torture? The reaction to these stories must also be one of shame. Was it not known far and wide that the MQM leaders had almost made a godhead of terror, using it to sustain their political hegemony in Karachi and, more darkly, to destroy their opponents, especially from amongst the Mohajir community, who were reckless enough to oppose their practices. The worst sufferers, of course, were those who were guilty of intra-party dissent. All this and more was known about the MQM but a conspiracy of silence surrounded its activities because those who should have spoken out were either afraid of the consequences or they were vying for the MQM leaders’ support and thus conniving at whatever they did. Since charity should begin at home, it must be said that in the first category falls the Karachi-based Press which was afraid to write a word about the MQM’s widely suspected atrocities. Events which were common knowledge were not reported because the price for doing so in Karachi, when MQM dominated the city’s skyline, had become very high.
There were one or two people (no more) belonging to the Press who did speak up. All the more honour to them because the path they chose was lonely and frightful. Then there were a few others who, though not overly defiant, refused to surrender, thus often inviting the wrath of the little tin gods of the MQM. Yet a far greater rank was made up of those who for political considerations humoured the MQM and its volatile chief. It also includes the highest functionaries of the state who not only tolerated but actively encouraged the MQM because it served their political interests. Successive dispensations—some visible, some not so visible —backed the MQM because its support was crucial for them in the Sindh Assembly or because its street power was considered vital in neutralising other political forces. No matter that the MQM was running torture cells and drilling holes through real or perceived enemies. No matter that it was holding not only Pakistan’s largest city to ransom. So long as it was on their side, they could not care less about anything else. The state (for which read the army) has woken up to the enonnity of this situation but "rather belatedly. Between the MQM’s rise to prominence and its present troubles, the things that were allowed to happen in Karachi brand with infamy not only the MQM but a large part of the country’s leadership. It will not be easy to wash away these ugly stains.
Having said as much, there are a few additional things that need to be said about the current army operation in Karachi. First of all, the army must not take sides. To achieve its tactical objectives, it must not encourage or tum a blind eye to the actions of the so-called MQM dissidents. Those who stand accused of heinous crimes, regardless of their political affiliations, should be hauled up without favour of discrimination. It would be ironic and cruel if one set of goons in the MQM is replaced by another set of leaders who, as is widely suspected, were till yesterday (that is, before they broke away) important cogs in the MQM’s machine of violence and terror. If this is a clean-up operation let it be thorough and comprehensive. A very important part of this will have to be a short and swift campaign against all other terrorists, dacoits, patharidars, members of the formidable drug mafia and all those influentials who harbour such criminals. Secondly, this operation must be taken to its logical, political conclusion. Sindh must have a fully representa tive govemment that speaks for the majority of its people. This is the sine qua non for any lasting solution to its troubles. Only a representative government, with a stable and a “real” majority behind it (as opposed to the majorities that Jam Sadiq Ali was so good at conjuring up), can rise above the sordid politicking and the game of horse-trading that have defiled the politics of Sindh, brought a bad name to the present democracy and created the conditions where the forces of exploitation and oppression enjoy free play and the distraught majority of innocent people are condemned to a life of misery. Obviously this is not something that the army can or should do. It is a question that the country’s civilian leadership, not entirely blameless for what has been happening in Karachi, must address. They must rise above their prejudices and take steps leading to the creation of a representative set-up in the province. Otherwise, it will mean attacking the symptoms of the problem without getting to its roots. Scarcely a wise thing to do after all that has happened. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
Dissident Activities Detailed [DAWN 27 Jun] 92AS1240E Karachi DAWN in English 27 Jun 92 p 5 [Article by Mahmood Zaman: “How MQM Rebels Retumed to Karachi”] [Text] Lahore, June 26—It was a hot day of May 1991 when a few joumalists of Lahore were taken, in a mysterious way, to a bungalow in Gulberg by a PPP [Pakistan People’s Party] leader driving a Pajero jeep. There, he introduced to the newsmen three MQM [Muhajir Qaumi Movement] dissidents-—Naeem Hashmat, Yunus Khan and Naeem Akhtar—who were in the Punjab to seek political support against their party’s leadership. This was the first contact of joumalists of the City with the MQM rebels who, at that time, preferred to talk off the record fearing that anything in the newspaper might land them into trouble. During about an hour-long talk, the three named Afaq Ahmad and Aamir Khan as their leaders who were still in hiding.This meeting proved to be a link between a group of mediamen and the rebel MQM leaders for many months to follow. The dissidents then had grown beards, with poorly managed dresses and torn sandals. They told us that they were living in a room near Liberty Market where there was no fan and they were also short of money to a degree that they had to skip one meal or the other. The second meeting was with Afaq Ahmad and Aamer Khan and that too in mysterious circumstances. A few journalists were on motor bikes with one leading them to the hostel of a professional educational institute. Afaq Ahmad, who was putting up with a student known to a joumalist, came out looking all around and sat on the rear seat of a motorcycle rode off to another locality. At a bungalow, Afaq Ahmad sat on the carpet with a few joumalists. But the talk was again off the record as the dissident Joint Secretary of the MQM apprehended that anything from him in the newspaper would yet be too early. The third contact was with a larger number of the dissidents at a dilapidated quarter of Nishat Colony in the Cantonment area where joumalists—now on an assignment of a formal news conference-—were led in a car by Yunus Khan through narrow lanes of the area. At one place the newsmen were asked to stop. Then they were led to a narrow street that ended on a small quarter where some of the dissidents were residing on rent.
It was for the first time that Aamer Khan was introduced by Afaq Ahmad. The last talk to the Press by the dissident leaders was at a four-star hotel where Badar Iqbal also joined on his return from the United States in March last. The joumalists witnessed that by now some of them were having mobile telephones and were riding cars and no longer required mysterious telephone calls to invite newsmen for a talk. The first seed of dissention was sown in January 1991 when Joint Secretaries Afaq Ahmad and Aamer Khan questioned for the first time at a Central Committee meeting about the allegations of corruption against some of the MQM leaders. The question of maltreatment of a few women workers was also asked and the accusation was not against any ordinary leader but directly against Altaf Husain. The information to Afaq and Aamer was provided by Vice President Zareen Majeed. This started the cleavage of confidence and one fine morning, Zareen Majeed broke after her child was abducted. During the meeting Altaf Husain hushed up the matter saying that the matter (of corruption) was a personal affair of somebody. In February 1991, both Afaq and Aamer were relieved of their offices and they, with a number of activists, whom the leadership doubted to be with the dissidents, and then Sindh Minister for Transport Badar Iqbal were “forcibly” sent to the United States. Aamer and Afaq returned from the U.S. in June after having won Badar Iqbal on their side. The same month they held a news conference in Landhi where an encounter took place causing loss of five lives. Sensing that they were no longer safe in Karachi, Aamer Khan and Afaq Ahmad left by sea to Mekran coast and reached Quetta. They were guests of Minister Sanaullah Zehri in Balochistan from where they wrote letters to leading political leaders of the ruling party as well as the Opposition and also sent them telegraphic messages apprising them of their “excesses” of the MQM leader- ship. Later, they arrived in Lahore via Dera Ghazi Khan where they were transported by govemment vehicles. While in Lahore, they first lodged themselves at Nishat Colony and as their number grew, they spread to localities like Ichhra and Rehmanpura. They were now about one hundred in number with more activists leaving Karachi. About 150 more dissidents had been staying at Data Darbar shrine at Bhati Gate where they ate food distributed by the Darbar Committee among needy and poor. One councillor and many activists were also accompanying their wives and children and were having hard time in the City. In July 1991 about 20 of them, including Aamer Khan, Yunus Khan, Naeem Akhtar and Naeem Hashmat, were arrested in a pre-dawn sweep by the Special Police. They were lodged at cells on Race Course Road. It was on a habeas corpus petition filed with the Lahore High Court that they were set at liberty after a detention of three days. Later in Lahore they contacted leaders like Minister Ejaz-ul-Haq, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, and Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar as well as a few MQM leaders. In fact some of them were arrested from the house of a PPP activist Babu Yasin in Ichhra. It was after their release that they wrote to the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief of Army Staff about the MQM affairs and their plight. The Prime Minister, though not responding to them directly, had sent a message to them through a middleman advising them to do away with their activities. By March 1992, the dissidents had started arriving in Karachi. The people of Karachi might have witnessed one group of persons, some of them with masks, suddenly appearing in one busy area or another, distributing pamphlets and disappearing in a flash. This was possible because the rebel group had been able to muster enough support from among the MQM workers to indulge in a dangerous activity like that. On one occasion, a few persons were arrested by the police which was accompanying Altaf Husain men.
They were able to mobilise the Karachi people because of adequate supply of funds from Naeem Akhtar, who had been sent to the United States by the rebel leadership. They also made a brief stay in Rawalpindi during this period and from there they operated in Karachi and other Sindh cities. During their talks with journalists in Lahore, the rebel leaders had been alleging the MQM leadership of:
(1) Contacts with a few foreign states with the objective of separating Karachi from Sindh to turn the port city into another Hong Kong;
(2) Inciting the MQM workers to prepare themselves to fight against the Armed Forces;
(3) Kidnapping and torturing dissident workers on the slightest doubt;
(4) Firing on dissidents houses and intimidating their parents and other dear ones;
(5)Molesting women;
(6) Resorting to corrupt practices in government departments and private sector;
(7) Coercing well-to-do families to provide them funds; and
(8) Murder of about 100 dissident activists.
Afaq Ahmad said during a talk that dissidents’ houses were set on fire; about 2,500 of them made homeless and female relatives of another 100 activists kidnapped. He said about 70 activists had been missing for the last several months and suspected to have been killed after torture in some 100 torture cells. Afaq also said their differences started when the leadership who talked of 98 percent poor had awarded tickets to corrupt and opportunists in the 1990 polls. He also accused the leadership of amassing wealth for personal gains and blackmailing authorities and capitalists for money. He also alleged that top MQM leaders had opened accounts in certain foreign banks with millions of rupees. Now when the Army operation in urban Sindh had almost tumed the table, the dissidents appear to have consolidated their political position in Karachi and other cities of the province. Not only they are no longer gripped in the fear of the leadership, they seem to have also started political work that may ultimately benefit them.
A source close to dissident MQM leaders said that they do not want to undermine the MQM as their fight was against fascist attitude and not the basic objectives of the party. But the grievances of Mohajirs were to be redressed by political means rather than fascist tactics of tuming a whole population of millions as a hostage at gunpoint. According to sources the “Haqeeqi” group has established political authority over most of Karachi to rid the citizens of terrorism. For this they would assist the law enforcing agencies and keep on exposing the hitherto leadership’s tactics. The “Haqeeqi” MQM would in a few days make “startling revelations” about the MQM leaders’ “conspiracy against the country,” particularly their foreign contacts and bargains, the source added. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
92AS]240G Karachi DA WN in English 27 Jun 92 p II [Article by Mazdak: “Marching To a Different Drummer”] [Text] In the wake of the highly effective and relatively painless neutralising of the MQM [Mohajir Qaumi Movement], the army has much to be satisfied about. In one dexterous stroke, GHQ and its subsidiary intelligence outfits have managed to use MQM dissidents to drive Altaf Hussain’s forces into complete disarray, while at the same time exposing his organisation’s internal weakness. Through this finely-tuned action, the army has salvaged an image badly tamished by the earlier bloody incidents in Sindh——incidents which had raised serious questions about its impartiality. By extending its cleanup operation into Karachi, GHQ has won the support of its harshest critics in Sindh, and in ridding us—temporarily at least—of the MQM menace. But while they are certainly entitled to bask in the unexpected and unusual glory of recent events, the generals would do well not to become complacent and think they have discovered a panacea for Sindh’s many problems. History shows that while the army may have managed to offer simple short-term solutions to national problems, it has invariably generated even greater crises in the longer term by attempting to impose its black and-white vision of how society should be organised.
The trouble is that civilians tend not to follow the linear path the generals have charted for them. There is no formalistic hierarchy, no chain of command that govems civil society in Pakistan: by nature, we are an anarchic bunch, marching to the beat of numerous drummers. And even then, we are usually out of step. Whenever a general with strong ambitions has usurped power, he has soon discovered that the helm of state is a particularly slippery instrument which often fails to respond to his command. This is a far cry from the instant obedience he is accustomed to after a lifetime of receiving and giving orders. Invariably, he starts out by assuming that he will “sort out” the politicians by the simple expedient of ordering them to stand at attention and do his bidding. Alas, the reality is very different. Consider what happened to poor Yahya Khan: the besotted dictator had been persuaded by intelligence agencies that no single party would emerge with a clear majority in the 1970 elections, and that he would be able to manipulate the coalition govemment that would be formed, thus retaining the presidency and actual power. But his actions based on this estimate led inexorably to the break-up of Pakistan. ~
It is no secret that Zia and his intelligence agencies were largely responsible for the creation and arming of the MQM. They had not calculated on the massive support he received from his constituency of Mohajirs who felt vulnerable and disenfranchised. And when the MQM flexed its muscles, making and unmaking governments,the army found its creature had slipped its leash and was threatening the stability of Sindh. Thus, an organisation that had been established to counter the popularity of the PPP [Pakistan People’s Party] in the province had become a Frankenstein monster: the quick fix had become an unending and malignant cancer.
In the current context, while it is perfectly OK to use one bunch of thugs to sort out another, it is certainly not the basis for a secure political framework. As the uncertainty around the future of the Sindh govemment continues, and Muzaffar Shah and his MQM partners follow ropea-dope tactics, it would be a grave mistake for the ruling troika in Islamabad to think they can can'y on business as usual. The present dispensation in Sindh is dead, and the decent thing would be to bury it before it fouls the air
The army has to realise that simply withdrawing after pulling down some iron gates, exposing the existence of several torture cells and arresting a few hundred MQM militants is only a brief lifting of the siege. The present crisis is largely the result of the creation of the MQM and the farcical 1990 elections; the army covertly had a hand in the former, and tacitly approved the latter. By robbing a large proportion of nrral Sindhis of the right to choose their representatives, the federation‘ has alienated vast numbers of Sindhis who feel they have been denied access to power at every level. In the unseemly scramble to keep Benazir Bhutto out of power at the federal and provincial levels at any cost, all kinds of unsavoury deals were made, most notably with the MQM. Altaf Hussain and his cohorts of armed goons used their new-found blackmailing powers literally as a license to kill. While newspapers are now carrying photographs of torture cells, everybody in Karachi—very much inclusive of chief ministers Jam Sadiq and Muzaffar Shah—knew about their existence. It should be clear to the meanest intelligence-—and intelligence agency—that the present govemment in Sindh has neither the moral authority, nor the popular support to govem Sindh effectively in the crisis it is facing today. The only possible long-term solution is to hold fresh elections—at least in Sindh—-to undo the mischief caused by the rigged polls of 1990.While asking the army to insist on the steps which are the logical outcome of its ongoing action may seem contradictory to the earlier argument against military intervention, it is actually a recognition of the army’s earlier role-—in conjunction with the Presidency—in creating the current crisis. In all fairness to itself and the nation, the least it can do is to clean up the mess in Sindh it helped to create in the first place.
REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
92ASI240H Karachi DAWN in English I Jul 92 p I5 [Article by M.H. Askari: “The MQM Phenomenon”; quotation marks as published] 65 99 [Text] The vexing enigma of the torture chambers reportedly discovered in Karachi is not that they had apparently been there all these years, under the very nose of the authority, but that those who are believed to have been responsible for establishing them should have been wooed by political elements who wished to get into power. It would be sheer naivete to believe that govemments which had been coalition partners of MQM [Mohajir Qaumi Movement] should have been unaware of the existence of the “torture chambers.” For one thing, they had a multiplicity of agencies available to them which could have been expected to know what was going on. Moreover, if there were any doubts in the matter they should have been removed at the time of the officially arranged exchange of political activists who had reportedly been subjected to torture by their rivals. The MQM first entered into an alliance with the PPP [Pakistan People’s Party] after the elections of 1988, giving rise to the expectation that the urban and rural Sindh would now be able to live in harmony and work for the development of a region which had suffered from a chronic sense of deprivation. However, the PPP, ill-advisedly, did not give MQM a meaningful share in political and economic power and the two parties became progressively estranged.
In a clever political manoeuvre, the IJI [Islamic Democratic Alliance] under the leadership of Mr Nawaz Sharif, who was the Chief Minister of Punjab at the time, capitalised on the situation and secretly entered into an alliance with MQM high command. Mr Nawaz Sharif and other top-level IJI leaders then made it a point to refer to the founder of the MQM as “Altaf Bhai,” as a gesture to emphasise that the Party had been assigned the role of Big Brother in the political arrangement. The IJ I leadership never missed an opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to the compact with MQM—tactics which paid dividends in the 1990 elections when MQM secured 28 seats in the Sindh Assembly and l4 seats in the National Assembly. With its strong presence in the Sindh Assembly, MQM became a key factor in the manipulations master-minded by late Jam Sadiq Ali, with full backing of Islamabad, to keep PPP out of power in the province, regardless of its proven electoral strength. No thought was apparently given to the inherent risk of the possible deepening of the urban-rural divide, since MQM was largely confined to major cities such as Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur, and PPP managed to retain its base in the rural areas:
The possibility that ethnic Sindhis might view the Jam MQM coalition as a manoeuvre to deprive them of their share in political and economic power was apparently lost sight of. . Despite PPP’s ouster, ethnic polarisation which had already manifested itself in incidents such as the Pucca Qila clash in Hyderabad showed no signs of abating and at times assumed even uglier proportions. Dacoities, holdups and kidnappings for ransom remained the order of the day and virtually paralysed the administration, specially in the interior. But the situation more often than not was projected as one of law and order, and not attributed to the political gerrymandering which really was at its root. The clean-up operation in Sindh which started, with the help of the Army and the Rangers some three weeks ago, generally had the support of the people. The operation has had its most visible impact in Karachi where the security forces have discovered the sordid “torture chambers” and brought to light instances of terrorism which was inflicted upon people who had to suffer their fate in silence.
However, as the clean-up operation has intensified some MQM dissidents who have recently surfaced in Karachi have laid claim to MQM leadership. In some areas they managed to dislodge MQM loyalists, they have since constituted themselves into a breakaway faction of their old party, under the label of MQM (Haqiqi), and, working strenuously to extend their sphere of influence, managed to wean away some former MQM office-bearers. One may, however, add that it, in no way, redounds to the security forces’ image that the dissidents’ apparent gains in Karachi have been seen as associated with the progress of the clean-up operation. The authorities concerned have nonetheless denied that they have had anything to do with the dissidents’ activities and attributed the development to MQM in-fighting. The clean-up operation has, however, lately come up against an unanticipated development. The MQM central committee which is mostly underground has announced the resignations of its members from the Sindh Provincial Assembly and the National Assembly and, even more significantly, the dismantling of the party structure. Reports appearing in a section of the Press on Sunday claimed that MQM has disbanded all of its zones, circles, sectors and units.
The development has put into jeopardy the survival of the Sindh cabinet and unconfirmed reports already speak of Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Shah sounded out PDA [People’s Democratic Alliance] on the possible inclusion of its nominees in the provincial govemment. The MQM’s dissociation from the existing political setup will also inevitably cut into the IJI’s strength at the Centre. The dismantling of the MQM party structure has deprived the dissidents of their immediate ‘targets’; they now no longer have any MQM strongholds as the objective of their strategy to consolidate their position. In any case, their credibility to function as leaders of the Mohajirs in Sindh and fill the vacuum created after the dismantling of MQM cannot be regarded as very high. The move by the MQM central Committee is indeed a clever rear-guard manoeuvre, cutting the ground from under the feet of the dissidents and placing the IJI in a bit of a quandary. The move could also release the hard-core MQM militant cadres from any visible form of centralised discipline. The possibility of some of these cadres operating more or less autonomously on their own, creating pockets of localised influence and perhaps posing a major law and order problem, cannot now be ruled out.
At the time of writing, the outlook for Karachi is unclear and it would probably be quite some time before a clear picture would emerge. The prospects of MQM being decimated—which earlier did not seem improbable may have receded and there is even talk of MQM regaining some of its lost support because of its image of being the major loser in the clean-up operation. The former Chief of Army Staff, Gen Mirza Aslam Beg, once reportedly said that he did not respond to the PPP demand for a take-over under Article 147 at the time when Sindh was facing its worst ethnic turmoil as he did not want the Army “to be seen as chasing shadows.” Whether the security forces would now come up against a situation similar to what Gen Aslam Beg visualised may, however, be a bit premature to say. While the fortunes of MQM may presently appear to be uncertain (even though Mr Altaf Hussain has reportedly claimed in an interview in London that it would be difficult to wipe out the MQM which would prove its resilience because it is a party with mass support and had demonstrated its strength in local and assembly elections) the fact cannot be denied that the party provided the Urdu-speaking Muhajir population with leadership which was radically different from what it had traditionally been. When the party was formed in 1984 he had the moral courage to tell the Muhajirs that they alone were, by no means, the thekedars (custodians) of the ideology and of Islam and Pakistan and should strive for more mundane objectives such as equal opportunities in jobs and services. As the renowned (Sindhi) political scientist, Hamza Alavi, has pointed out, a section of Sindhi leaders and intellectuals then began to recognise that Muhajirs “are Sindhi people and must stand shoulder to shoulder with Sindhi-speakers in Sindh.” The MQM also deviated from the Muhajir’s traditional role of being pro-Centre and pro-Army and today in fact, appears to be out of favour with both. The Muhajir’s real competition for jobs and services in Sindh was not with the native Sindhis (who were themselves something of an underdog until Bhutto came on the scene) but with the migrant labour from the North.
However, at some point of time, MQM found itself in confrontation with the Sindhis (probably as a result of the machinations of certain agents provocateurs) and the picture began to change. At the commencement of the clean-up operation, there were reports that the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Asif Nawaz, is in favour of a package of political, economic and social reforms being adopted to ensure stability in Sindh. Whether such a package has been developed or not is not known. In the meantime, there is speculation that political bargaining may once again be resorted to in order to secure support for the present Sindh Government, and this could mean inducements being offered to various political parties (presumably not PPP) to patch up yet another coalition. Gen Aslam Beg in an interview has stressed the need for initiating a political dialogue to restore normality in Sindh. He has also warned against any complacency being permitted in the civil administration in the province while the Arrny and the Rangers are engaged in the clean-up. If the civil administration is not thoroughly reformed and rid of corruption, the Province could once again find itself in the grip of lawlessness after the army is withdrawn. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
IJI Still Needs MQM 92ASI240I Islamabad THE MUSLIM in English 3 Jul 92 p 7 [Article by Zahid Ahmad Khan: “Need for Public Participation in Sindh Operation”] [Text] Barring the few disgruntled political parties and vested interests, the nation as a whole has wholeheartedly welcomed the army action in Sindh, particularly the people of Sindh who have heaved a sigh of relief. The reign of terror which had gripped the province of Sindh for a considerable period of time is perhaps over at least for the time being. The rising graph of dacoities, burglaries, sniper firing, and kidnappings for ransom has suddenly fallen. It is heartening to see that the Pakistan Army is regularly briefing the press on the clean-up operation. The fortifications, barricades and the torture cells discovered in Karachi and Hyderabad establish that the MQM [Muhajir Qaumi Movement] had been using organised terrorism to keep down its political opponents and dissidents. There was imperium in imperio in the form of MQM in Sindh. Now that strong circumstantial evidence is there against the MQM, one hopes that no leniency would be shown to the high-ups of MQM and other political parties responsible for organised crime in Sindh, even if their political support is necessary for the survival of the IJI [Islamic Democratic Alliance] in Sindh. The survival of Pakistan is at stake, and it should override all other considerations. REFERENCE: JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan http://dodreports.com/pdf/ada372596.pdf
