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High alert: Defend yourself, Altaf Hussain tells Pakistanis
Suggests creating vigilance teams in every neighbourhood.
Suggests creating vigilance teams in every neighbourhood. . PHOTO: APP/FILE
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain says people must step up to protect themselves given the harrowing and dangerous conditions in Pakistan.
The call for self-defence came as Altaf Hussain expressed concern at the increase in the number of terrorist activities and cases of robberies, vehicle thefts, street crimes, extortion and kidnapping being recorded countrywide. In the past week, one MQM activist and his brother was killed and two others injured in PIB Colony. Three Awami National Party workers have also died in targeted killings. The MQM has also spent a considerable part of the past month sounding alarm bells over cases of extortion in Karachi.
“At some points it becomes important for people to bear a burden for the sake of their security,” he said. The MQM chief has offered a number of suggestions to Pakistanis to help deter crime in their areas. He appealed to people to form vigilance committees in every lane, neighbourhood and in small and main markets.
In a detailed statement issued on Friday with suggestions for neighbourhood security, Altaf Hussain said that these vigilance teams should have a “strong alarm system that can alert the lane and neighbourhood in the case of any danger or if a robber is in the area.” He believes that people need to defend themselves. “In front of every lane there are at last ten houses on each side. If there are teams of five that do an eight-hour shift for these 20 houses, then the rotation of one person from the vigilance team can be every five days.”
Along with an alarm system, Altaf Hussain suggested that the vigilance teams can surround any criminal in the area and should have whistles similar to those scouts and civil defence staff have, and can alert the police and other law enforcement agencies to take the criminal(s) into custody.
Hussain has asked people that since they have responded to his appeals in the past, they should try out his suggestions for a week and see the results for themselves.
The MQM’s Wasay Jalil said that Altaf Hussain’s call is because of the rise in crime, and the tried-and-tested efforts by the MQM in 2007 and 2009 of initiating neighbourhood watches. “The MQM supporters and workers are already doing this and there are law enforcement agencies, but society needs to step up because these crimes are in societies and neighbourhoods,” Jalil said.
The MQM chief has also repeatedly asked the president and prime minister to look into the security conditions of Karachi. In a phone conversation on Thursday, President Asif Ali Zardari reassured Altaf Hussain that he will call a meeting in Karachi soon on the city’s security situation.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2012.
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Reader Comments (57)
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Poor Karachi….
Being looted and ill treated.. by its government..
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we really Love Altaf bhai
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I am agree with Altaf Bhai……if the state has failed to protect it´s people then nothing left except to defend yourself……We are with you Altaf Bhai….People of Karachi should stand up and protect each other from terrorist of ANP and Amn Committee.
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Neighborhood watch groups work well when there is law and order…In a city where targeted killings are a norm and there is no accountability, these programs would open the door for more killings in the name of self defense
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Or Ban MQM …That would be much easy and simpler way !!
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Rising crime in the big cities and governments failure to protect their citizens people of Karachi should think to protect themselves from terrorist of Gang War and Manshiya and aslah farosh party
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Someone needs to tell him that “talk is always cheap” and specially when you are sitting all the in London. Why don’t you move back to Karachi and show us how to solve our problems or for once and all be quite.
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What he suggests will lead to buy / build private security contractors as in Iraq or Afghanistan. PSCs are protecting politicians, artists and corporates, oil cartels.
Most of PSCs there are retirees from ex WARS , they are civilian defense contractors, staff of spy agencies like Blackwater and Zee Services.
If Army Chief Brother can have NATO Supply Contract why not Altaf outsource KHI security to 3rd country militias as our armed forces don’t want to enter in KHI.
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“come back top Pakistan to protect your people” Pakistanis tell Altaf Hussain.
“hahaha” is the reply back.
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Or Ban MQM, ANP and PPP – all of them are responsible!!!
Or just Ban all the politics, it is just doing no good for this nation and the future generations.
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vigilance in every neighbourhood is replicating the tribal system and creates distrust and further pyramids of power. However democracy will start in this way through grassroots community strength and the Nizam of each city should ensure each neighbourhood watch team is represented at a roundtable (Jirga?) quarterly.
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Altaf bhai is right. Enough is enough.
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This man Altaf can be anything But a leader.
ANP and MQM has made the political fight into a blood money game. They have increased the division between different communities in Karachi.
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I volunteer for “neighbourhood watch” for Edgware Road; arrange a visa for me Altaf bhai. And where should I pick my gun?
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@Bilal:
do altaf bhai love us? will he come to Pakistan? His politics burned karachi
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Altaf,why cry now? hav,nt you heard that those who live by the sword shall
die by the sword. Recollect, who brandished the sword first in Karachi?
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altaf sb come karachi n save us…
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I am an Indian. I like Altaf Hussain ji the most among all politicians in Pakistan. He talks sense, speaks for minorities in Pakistan and is a secular man himself.
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What happened to all this chest beating about PAK sovereignty. Is this what PAK means about control?
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Well, he would have better known the situation if he is in Karachi in his own people.
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@ALL MQM haters
people who dont really know Karachi, should not comment on Karachi, Altaf Bhai really love us.
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Are we foolish to violate a rule or protect ourselves? This is the job of security forces to provide a security to every individual in Pakistan. These comments represent clearly the vested interests of the ruling partner of the government. Despite to stop their terrorists for creating instability in Karachi, he is also stimulating common people to extend uncertainty and violations of law and order. Mr. Leader do not exploit the innocent people for your vested interests. institutions are created by common people in society. if they do not follow the harmony anymore in their behaviors then the results would have been put them to uncertainties continuelly..
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@John H:
When Benazir came she was killed why Karachi lose their leadership, We are not stupid keep your suggestion with you and make logical comments……
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@M.Aswad Mehatb: Its better to ban ANP, PPP AND ITS BACHA TANZEEM AMN COMITEE….Karachi will be in peace as from 2002 to 2008, Karachi become a developed city by a educated middle class Nazim Mustafa Kamal………those who hate karachitees should be ban in Karachi………
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@M.Aswad Mehatb
I am a krachiite and live in London right now. You want to get your facts right. He is saying exactly what happens here. People of any neighbourhood make a neighbourhood watch sort of team which keeps an eye on all kinds of crimes or bad governance, etc. This awareness and responsiveness is the main reason these countries are developed. Otherwise, they have rogues in their governments who are rogue enough to be masters of our leaders. Hope you get it. MQM did this same appeal in many instances of unrest in karachi, specially during Zia’s times when he was busy fighting other people’s war in other people’s lands and sowing seeds of unrest in some of the most literate and educated areas of Pakistan, the ones most likely to raise voice against him and his friends. Thsi is why people gave votes to MQM. you cant consistently take millions of votes on the basis of bullets only. Did you not see the pics of MQM women rally few weeks ago? If i have to ask some one for help, i would nt have to go to Altaf in London. His represntatives would be living around the corner in most cases.
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@Maulana tharra:
You better keep an eye on your neighbor………….otherwise u will be surprised after nine months.
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I agree with what Altaf Hussain Bhai say as government has failed to control the law and order situation in Karachi. In this condition what should Karachities do except protect themselves.
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Lots of people here wants banning MQM, ANP, PPP n some of them even wants politics to be banned right! So finally people of Pakistan realise the fact that politics is not the part of our religion. This is ISLAMIC republic of Pakistan not Pakistan alone. My suggestion would be “khilafat”. bring Islamic laws here and get ready to obey them.
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@ Tom , @ sick of this nonsense……….. Why should He come back …. He is Quaid he can guide us from any where he want….. and this is what we need and this is what he will be doing if he was here… so asking him to come is lame….His people dnt want him here… He is not “Taseebi” like any other leader…. you and your establishment killed laquat ali khan, bangoli’s, bhuttoo and bynazeer…… who can grantee his life … say who ever you are whatever you guys say coward or any thin he is with us in our hearts… proud to be altafi.. “ya soch ya nazariya ya fikar 100 saal ma bhi nhe aye ge tum sub ma”
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mqm is the only party that stands up for urdu speaking minorities,the only people mohajirs should be thankful in the whole of pakistan are the native people of sindh,who gave us a home after partition.
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as long as the neighbourhood vigilante are not armed, it is safe. But most crimes are committed on the main roads, when even the police are bystanders
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Where is the Difa-e-Pakistan council?
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This is the only soultion .People of Karachi especially the Muhajirs need to form “vigilantes ” as thy used to do in the post USA-Mexico war ( atAla mo ).And it did work in those days to ward-off hustlers and vagabond looters and murderers .This is a necessity for Karachi .
Biased army , non-local police and good-for-nothing Rangers ahve miserably failed to protect the lives of inne innocents .
Nonlocal IG Gorchani should be removed immediately
And @ sick of the nonsense , comeback to Paksitan and get “shahadat” ( Read :brutally killed )
like you did to Benazir with the killer never to be traced .
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We love you Altaf Hussain Bhai… You are the real Leader of Pakistan…!
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@fahd Siddiqui:
If that’s the case, he can also guide you from heavens I believe. Then why are you afraid of his Shahadat.
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@Maulana tharra:
To get a gun, take your VCR ( DVD player in today’s terms) to the nearest weapons shop. Hope you get a fair trade!Recommend
And that’s the reason why i love Altaf Bhai.
He just does not criticize other leaders but is the one who looks for solutions against daily crimes in the city as well is in the country.
The MQM supporters and workers are already doing this and there are law enforcement agencies.
And this statement is so true. There are 5 to 6 MQM workers daily on the corner of the street that keep a watch daily. This has reduced the crimes and robberies atleast in my area.
Hope for a better Pakistan with Mr.Hussain’s ideology and practical approach.
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@Sanaullah:
its not the thing to blame ANP or MQM,because not only these two parties but all the parties have their own military wings,so non of the party is innocent in karachi,all plays well just to take their own advantage,the only thing we faces is poor people suffers…Recommend
Defend & Save yourself!!
Look who’s talking!!
In short, “Chor machaye Shor”.
There was a time in 1992 when MQM did the same propaganda and they were stakeholders by then too. They demanded an action against the miscreants in the city and ARMY did a neutral offensive. So what happened? They were the Rats who in reaction took pillions of innocent live to jolt the system. Mr. Altaf politics of intimidation is always destructive, sometimes you roll the wrong dice with your very own hands. Do not go against the tide!!
Time has given multiple opportunities to this party but unfortunately Fascism is their Trademark and their survival depends on the western agenda. Their demands are dumped under the violence, So, the whole system is aware but beauty is the democracy.
I know people will go against what I said, and aforesaid set of statements are not my own creations or allegations, their are proves supporting all these incidents.
I don’t support any political cum Fascist party. Just a voice of a neutral and true Pakistani.
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Gee a whole nation of Raymond Davis’s.
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Altaf Hussain,
You are the worst hypocrite in the history of Pakistan’s politics. Again you are playing double role of oppostion and ally in Sindh. I am an Urdu Speaking and will no more give vote to MQM because of double face of your party.
Again you hijacked the city with voilence and ignore millions who voted you and who suffered the whole last week of March. In this pathetic situation, Farooq Sattar, Babar Ghouri and Mustafa Kamal were seen in Dubai and left Karachi for burning.
If you are a leader than show your rules and ideals. Be set on one side whether in opposition or in Positition.
Again be thankful to the Sindhi brothers who welcommed Urdu speaking after the birth of Pakistan and stopped the ugly game of Mohajir Province. The Karachi is a mini Pakistan and belonged to all of us.
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@M.Aswad Mehatb:
COME OUT OF FOOLS PARADISE ASWAD
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@Pro Patriot…………………..isnt this funny , the people who created Pakistan are getting treated as pariahs in Karachi , and hwo those woke up in a fine morning to find out they are IN Pakistan are claiming to be Pro patritoc !!!!!! What a joke .
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Altaf bhai you are the government! it is your responsibility!!
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@fahd Siddiqui:
Your post is testament to the high educational and academic standards achieved during MQM’s rule in Karachi. I propose to nominate it for Nobel prize in Literature!!
Any one out there to second it!!
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its a good suggestion bt who will control political thug?
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@Altaf Bhai… Please tell the Government “We needs to be treated as Linguistic Minorities and needs to be given special previleges as like given to Minorities in India which is enjoyed by my Indian Relatives”..
If required, please file a suit in International / National Court of law to declare us as Linguistic Minorities…
If this is done then no problem for us and others… Insha allah we will get this previlege soon…
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People take up arms when they are insecure and their lives are threatened and there is no security to protect them. Government should be held responsible for such insecurity and chaos. It is all upto the government and it is their choice to choose security and peace for its people or chaos and confusion.
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Isn’t Altaf securely living in London? Then why is he telling Pakistanis to defend themselves which would ultimately be a disaster.
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Let’s petition Ms. Gabol to lower the alimony; it may bring some relief to poor Karachi and it’s inhabitants!!
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@Kala Khan: @Maulana tharra: You better keep an eye on your neighbor………….otherwise u will be surprised after nine months.
You make Altaf “bhai” proud; he will appoint you to lead MQM’s next “women empowerment” rally!!
Sound advice by the way but ET censored my compliments!
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@Mr. Righty rightist: “Where is the Difa-e-Pakistan council?”
They just started four months long “chilla.” They will resume when MQM is done.
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I am with you Altaf Bhai
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do you guys think similiar issue could ever happened in Lahore? No Because Police in Lahore is Local But Police in Karachi is Not Local.
* so What Else Altaft Bhai can do?*
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@Bilal: “do you guys think similiar issue could ever happened in Lahore? No Because Police in Lahore is Local But Police in Karachi is Not Local.
* so What Else Altaft Bhai can do?“*
Brilliant logic!
What percentage of Lahore population is non Punjabi?
What percentage of Karach population is non Sindhi?
There lies the problem!
Deport all illegal foreigners in Karachi and the problems will be solved.
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@Maulana tharra
Police should be local…….means Karachi Police should be of Karachi origin.
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Hey Altaf, kindly leave us alone, we are fine in Pakistan, don’t spread more haters … thanks
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