MQM tried to woo former ISI chief Zaheerul Islam: Kamal

Former Karachi mayor says a huge sum of money was also paid to an intermediary for the task

HYDERABAD:

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s leadership tried to hire services of a go-between to arrange negotiations with the former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence Gen (R) Zaheerul Islam in 2013.  A huge sum of money was also allegedly paid to the intermediary for the task.

The MQM’s dissident and leader of the fledgling Pak Sar Zameen party, Mustafa Kamal, came up with this disclosure at a rally in Hyderabad on Thursday.



“Should I speak the truth?” he asked the cheering few thousand supporters who turned up at the inaugural event of a PSP’s office in Latifabad Unit 6. “But we don’t have to give a full dose; instead, we will go for a slower one so that they may understand.”

As he hung on, the crowd shouted the name of the religious scholar and former MQM leader Aamir Liaquat Hussain. Kamal, however, chose to avoid naming anyone.

“People are doing propaganda on TV talk shows that we are brought here [in Pakistan] by the establishment,” he said, adding that he wanted to expose the accusers by exposing their own links.

The PSP leader also announced holding of a public meeting in Bagh-i-Jinnah in Karachi on April 25 and urged Hyderabad’s supporters to flood the venue with their attendance.



“We [Kamal and Anees Qaimkhani] came back to Pakistan with the intention of atonement. But God perhaps wants to put some more responsibilities on our shoulders and through you God wants to change the future for your generations,” said Kamal. He asserted that the PSP will achieve the objectives in 25 weeks. “We don’t have 25 years or even two and a half years to clear the mess.”

He was accompanied by Anees Qaimkhani, Raza Haroon, Waseem Aftab and Anees advocate.

A few hours before his arrival, a small group of women, reportedly belonging to the MQM, shouted slogans against Kamal near the PSP’s office. But they left the area soon as the PSP supporters shouted back with their ‘Pakistan zindabad’ chants.

Reaction to Kamal’s visit

The MQM Hyderabad chapter organised rallies, which gathered outside the press club, to express solidarity with the party chief on Thursday.



“The people whom Quaid gave respect have forgotten their position,” said Rabita Committee member Iqbal Muqadam. “The flood of MQM’s supporters is with the Quaid.”

Another MQM leader, Abdul Haseeb, alleged that Kamal and other dissidents have sold out their principles.


Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2016.