MQM-London calls for lifting media ban on Altaf

Interim Rabita Committee leader Dr Arif rejects 'minus-one' formula, says MQM will always remain as one party

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) London leader, Dr Hasan Zafar Arif, has demanded the government to lift all media restrictions on party chief Altaf Hussain, saying the party should be allowed to continue its peaceful political activities.

“We demand that the state should lift all restrictions on Altaf Hussain, including his speech, written statements and publication," said Dr Arif while addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Saturday. "We also want an end to the media trial of the party,” he added.

Dr Arif went on to say that the MQM was never divided and that conspiracies being hatched against the party will fail. "Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) was created to divide the party but it will fail in its attempts."

The PSP broke away MQM members to include them in its fold, he said. "As the PSP failed, the government came into action and started shutting down MQM offices and arresting its workers," he said.

This presser is in fact a response to the minus-one formula, the MQM-London leader said while referring to Altaf's exclusion from the Karachi-based party in the wake of his August 22 anti-state remarks.



About 10 out of 12 members of an interim Rabita (Consultation) Committee of MQM-London, which was formed on Friday and endorsed by Altaf, were present during the press conference.

Citing “absence of adequate evidence”, the Scotland Yard cleared on Thursday Altaf in the money laundering case. “The Metropolitan Police Service following a detailed evidential review … made the decision to withdraw their application in a civil case under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 for the forfeiture of over £500,000 in cash,” the London police statement said.

Earlier, a large number of paramilitary Rangers gathered outside the KPC. The personnel barred media persons from entering the building, but later allowed them to enter the premises at the intervention of a journalists' organisation.

The leaders who arrived at the KPC to address the media included Amjadullah, Dr Zafarullah, Kanwar Khalid Younis, Riffat Advocate, Ismael Sitara, Ashraf Noor, Akram Rajput and others.



On October 2, senior members of MQM-London Mustafa Azizabadi, Qasim Ali Raza and Wasay Jalil cancelled Dr Farooq Sattar’s party membership for committing ‘treason’, saying he had no right to impose administrative decisions.

On September 20, the MQM-Pakistan completely divorced itself from the aforementioned London leaders as well as Nadeem Nusrat, who had opposed the exclusion of Altaf from the party, and removed them from the Rabita Committee.

The divisions occurred after the party’s founder uttered a hate speech against the state and its institutions on August 23 and reportedly incited his supporters to launch an attack on televisions stations in the city.

Senior leader Dr Sattar subsequently announced that MQM had distanced itself from Altaf and that all decisions and policies of the party will be carved out in Pakistan.