MQM rejects minus-Altaf fate
MQM has been facing such allegations since 1992, says Nadeem Nusrat while urging establishment to talk to Altaf
Farooq Sattar. PHOTO: ZAFAR ASLAM /EXPRESS
KARACHI:
While rejecting all allegations against Altaf Hussain, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s convenor Nadeem Nusrat has advised the establishment to let go of its politics of dividing the party and instead talk to the party chief.
The MQM leadership came out with a calm response to Mustafa Kamal’s explosive news conference on Thursday, claiming the party had been bearing the same accusations for decades.
Altaf working for RAW, says Kamal
“This move by the establishment will also backfire,” said Nusrat while addressing a press conference from London at the MQM headquarters Nine-Zero, where all the lawmakers and office-bearers had gathered.
“These allegations are not new. Since 1992, we have been facing them. In every election, we have been getting the mandate and votes despite all these allegations. The mandate alone is the defence of Altaf,” he said while requesting the people not to take law in their hands in reaction to Kamal’s speech.
“Is it the fault of Altaf if he brought a person picking up the phone to the assembly, made him a senator and a nazim also?” Nusrat questioned, referring to Kamal, who is known to have worked as a telephone operator at Nine-Zero before he became an MQM lawmaker.
Responding to Kamal’s accusations, Dr Farooq Sattar claimed the only aim of the press conference was to pave the way for the minus-Altaf formula for MQM. “But this would not be successful,” he said.
“No one can separate Altaf from us. He is the solution to all our problems.”
He added these allegations were levelled against the party by the Jamaat-e-Islami 30 years ago. “Look where the Jamaat is standing today,” he said while referring to the diminishing vote bank of the religious party, which once dominated Karachi’s political corridors.
Altaf Hussain is the only solution to our problems: MQM
About the allegations of MQM workers getting guerrilla training from India, Dr Sattar said that during the 90s, some men had sought refuge in India and got training or were forced to get training. “The party had then and there distanced itself from them,” he added.
The senior MQM leader said the mandate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 2013 elections was talked about a lot but nobody spoke about the MQM’s mandate in the 2015 local government elections.
Thursday’s press conference was the first time since the departure of Kamal and Anees Qaimkhani in 2013 that the two publicly announced their departure from the party. Later on, the MQM also announced cancelling the basic party membership of the two men.
At Nine-Zero, MQM’s senior deputy convener Amir Khan said the house gifted to Kamal by the party years ago had still not been returned.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2016.
While rejecting all allegations against Altaf Hussain, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s convenor Nadeem Nusrat has advised the establishment to let go of its politics of dividing the party and instead talk to the party chief.
The MQM leadership came out with a calm response to Mustafa Kamal’s explosive news conference on Thursday, claiming the party had been bearing the same accusations for decades.
Altaf working for RAW, says Kamal
“This move by the establishment will also backfire,” said Nusrat while addressing a press conference from London at the MQM headquarters Nine-Zero, where all the lawmakers and office-bearers had gathered.
“These allegations are not new. Since 1992, we have been facing them. In every election, we have been getting the mandate and votes despite all these allegations. The mandate alone is the defence of Altaf,” he said while requesting the people not to take law in their hands in reaction to Kamal’s speech.
“Is it the fault of Altaf if he brought a person picking up the phone to the assembly, made him a senator and a nazim also?” Nusrat questioned, referring to Kamal, who is known to have worked as a telephone operator at Nine-Zero before he became an MQM lawmaker.
Responding to Kamal’s accusations, Dr Farooq Sattar claimed the only aim of the press conference was to pave the way for the minus-Altaf formula for MQM. “But this would not be successful,” he said.
“No one can separate Altaf from us. He is the solution to all our problems.”
He added these allegations were levelled against the party by the Jamaat-e-Islami 30 years ago. “Look where the Jamaat is standing today,” he said while referring to the diminishing vote bank of the religious party, which once dominated Karachi’s political corridors.
Altaf Hussain is the only solution to our problems: MQM
About the allegations of MQM workers getting guerrilla training from India, Dr Sattar said that during the 90s, some men had sought refuge in India and got training or were forced to get training. “The party had then and there distanced itself from them,” he added.
The senior MQM leader said the mandate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 2013 elections was talked about a lot but nobody spoke about the MQM’s mandate in the 2015 local government elections.
Thursday’s press conference was the first time since the departure of Kamal and Anees Qaimkhani in 2013 that the two publicly announced their departure from the party. Later on, the MQM also announced cancelling the basic party membership of the two men.
At Nine-Zero, MQM’s senior deputy convener Amir Khan said the house gifted to Kamal by the party years ago had still not been returned.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2016.