Fire and brimstone: Govt trying to crush MQM, says Altaf

Claims Rangers brought the wanted men to Nine-Zero

KARACHI:

Altaf Hussain has claimed the March 11 Rangers raid at his party headquarters was the initiation of a conspiracy aimed at eliminating the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The MQM chief was speaking to a gathering of his party workers early Saturday morning at Nine-Zero, where he asked the participants if they wanted the party to run without him. He warned them that if they continue to support him as a leader, they may be put in jails. He called upon his workers to prepare for jihad, as genocide of Mohajirs has been started. “Our genocide is being carried on,” Altaf proclaimed. “The Nine-Zero operation was an attempt to eliminate the MQM. But those who want to crush the party won’t be successful.”

He lamented that no house of any other political leader, except his, had been raided. “Why was Nawaz Sharif’s house not searched for Gullu Butt?” he questioned, referring to the notorious Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz activist arrested in Lahore for destroying vehicles during a political rally in Lahore.

Blaming the government for trying to crush the MQM, Altaf claimed the Nine-Zero operation was carried out under the supervision of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, who had the support of the prime minister and the interior minister as well.

He alleged the wanted men arrested by Rangers from Nine-Zero were brought to the party headquarters from somewhere else, and even the licensed weapons were presented wrongly in the media.

Altaf also lashed out at Chaudhry Nisar and Nawaz Sharif, and asked about the committee which was to be formed to monitor the Karachi operation. “Why has it not been formed?” he asked.

Vehemently criticising Imran Khan, Altaf showed a video of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman mocking the Pakistan Army generals. “No action was taken against Imran Khan,” he said referring to the video and his nomination in a case registered by Rangers for hurling threats.

Talking about the Yemen turmoil, he believed that Pakistan should not jump into the war. “Dialogue should be held at the diplomatic level to sort out matters,” he said.

He also hit out at the media and said they should stop spreading lies against him or else a worker might react and do anything. “If a worker loses his mind and does something, I won’t be able to anything,” he warned.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2015.