Pro-Musharraf graffiti emerges in Karachi

Khawaja Izharul Hasan says meeting with Musharraf was personal not political

KARACHI: After reports emerged that former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf is attempting to become the joint president of MQM Pakistan and its offshoot PSP, graffiti in support of the retired general suddenly appeared in parts of Karachi.

According to reports, spray-painted scrawls such as ‘Jeay Musharraf’ and ‘We need Musharraf’ appeared in Federal B Area and Clifton.  It is alleged that The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) is behind this campaign.



The posters and graffiti started appearing in the wake of Musharraf’s meeting with MQM’s Khawaja Izharul Hasan, Farooq Sattar and PSP’s Mustafa Kamal. Though MQM leaders and Mustafa Kamal have refuted reports of a move afoot to reunify MQM, sources privy to the development said that backdoor negotiations have started on this matter.

Sources who wished to remain anonymous said, “the recent situation came up after the retired Army chief and MQM’s leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan met in Dubai.” Speculation began swirling after photos of the meeting went viral on social media.

When approached, Farooq Sattar denied that he had met the former president. “I have not met Musharraf.” Meanwhile his deputy leader, Khawaja Izharul Hasan who is also the opposition leader in Sindh Assembly said, “it was a personal meeting on the request of Musharraf and the agenda was not to reunify MQM.”



The PSP leader Mustafa Kamal also denied the reports saying, “we don’t need any Quaid.”

On the other hand, there are reports that former Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ebad has also opened backdoor channels to woo MQM- Pakistan leaders to work under the leadership of Musharraf.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2016.