Rumour mill: Britain scotches reports of Altaf Hussain’s arrest
The British government denied on Monday reports suggesting Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain’s purported detention by British authorities, while an MQM statement said Hussain was hospitalised in London.
“There is no truth in such reports,” British High Commissioner Adam Thomson told reporters at a ceremony for Pakistani Paralympics athletes in Islamabad.
He was reacting to speculations that the MQM leader had been caught trying to leave for South Africa at London’s Heathrow Airport. Reports also quoted Altaf Hussain as having told British authorities that “he was going to South Africa for security reasons”.
These claims coincided with a spate of allegations against the MQM levelled by former senior minister Zulfiqar Mirza who accused the party of being behind the ongoing bloodshed in Karachi.
(Read: Who will rescue Karachi?)
Mirza alleged that the MQM was working “on an American agenda to disintegrate Pakistan”.
He also claimed that in 2001, Altaf Hussain had written up a letter to then Britain’s prime minister Tony Blair against the Inter-Services Intelligence.
(Read: Hurricane Mirza shakes up political landscape)
The British diplomat, however, said he did not know anything about the purported letter, adding that Blair was more qualified to answer questions in this regard.
The MQM and Interior Minister Rehman Malik have already denied reports of Altaf Hussain’s arrest.
Members of MQM’s coordination committee also appealed the people to remain calm and not respond to rumours. The committee thanked President Asif Ali Zardari, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and other people for expressing concern for Hussain’s health.
According to an MQM statement, Hussain became sick a week ago but “is now recovering”.
(With additional reporting by our correspondent in Karachi)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2011.
COMMENTS (34)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1730959638-0/trump-(19)1730959638-0-165x106.webp "article")
Karachiites tends to forget the brilliant Nazim Naimatullah Khan(JI) for his contribution to the development of Karachi. He was Nazim from 2001-2005. He inspired the MQM. Though they will never admit it....
On a program last evening. ZM came up with a preposterous explantion that Altah Hussein was arrested from Heathrow Airport on his way to South Africa!!! He's (ZM) in a trance these days especially after the operation in Lyari where 2 torture cells were found and a number of mutilated bodies!
May Allah bless you with health. Ameen!
HC said he is not detained but didnt say if he is allowed to leave UK or not ;) Point to ponder isnt it???
the sad part is we still fall for british gimicks.
@Hasan....mmm we are so very sorry but we dont have the traditions of respecting mandates.....remember general elections before Dhaka fall....and if the mandate is not really of our liking ...we engineer one. so in the due course of time you feel your mandate is not really receiving the respect it otherwise should.....go for another independent country. we are already falling apart.
@Hasan: please dont forget that majority of the people died in Karachi violence was either MQM supporters or workers Accepted. Who killed the others? Which feudal system you believe MQM is challenging? The fact, whether you like it or not, is that MQM has always supported feudal system by making coalitions since its inception be it with PML-Q or PPP? This slogan is for the consumption of the so called literate middle class only. There is no substance in it. Has MQM ever made any attempt to kill the much talked feudal system by bringing any legislation in the provincial and national assemblies?. The truth is how could it do the same while sitting on the treasury benches with the feudal lords. The challenge you are talking about is only limited to the telephonic addresses from UK.
@Hasan: Well Z.mirza's allegations do make a bit sense and might be right. As u just stated that MQM developed karachi, Hyderabad from 01-08 but if u just think 4 a minute and believe Z.mirza's theory he is right as they are using federal money to build karachi and hyderabad and then when these 2 become very highly developed with underground trains and stuff they would separate it from pakistan and this way the new would be capable to generate alot of money ... AND I PERSONALY THINK THAT YES MQM ARE PLOTING THE THINGS Z.MIRZA SAID
Zulfiqar Mirza sahabs allegations worked , MQM leader had no more words left do defend himself that's why he is escaping from media and gone underground in London.........Mr.Altaf we are dieing to hear your telephonic speech....come on face the people.
@hassaan khan: You are right. Your comment reminded me of Mir Jaffer and Mir Sadiq.
All these bad and immoral doing and undoing of things by the self-styled politicians is a part game of exploitation under the status quo attempts and black deals by hidden hands as well as open enemies called in political terms of ' haves' and 'haves not' in society.With such sort of crime-like-things, openly indulged in by people occupying seats of power and authority, we and our beloved motherland,Pakistan, cannot become a place of decent worth-living life, unless the centuries-old de-humanising, brutal jagirdari nizam is abolished and a more human, humane, a humanity-based, welfare sort of state system is replaced as it prevails in many countries like Canada, UK and other......
People please don't forget that it was MQM from 2001 until 2008 which has Developed Karachi and Hyderabad which in turn was beneficial for Pakistan. If MQM was so much against Pakistan and different ethnicity they would have flushed them out when they were in power from 2001 until 2008. I live in Karachi and I know who is bad and who is not this guys roams around in Karachi with 20 security guards and thrashes anyone he wanted, so does his son. He has not done anything for the constituency he was elected from people are still working on his fields like slaves. PLEASE MY PAKISTANI PEOPLE WAKE UP AND SEE WHO IS RIGHT AND WHO IS WRONG. People like him has accused MQM of this in the past too but it all turned out to be fake, but it had cost us around 20,000 innocent lives. Please wake up before its too late, because we wont tolerate another genocide on Urdu speaking people just because they want to challenge the feudal system of this country. This whole drama was only because of operation against liyari gangsters. Don't be so naive and start make him your hero just because he is saying things against MQM in a emotional way and just because you are against MQM. and please dont forget that majority of the people died in Karachi violence was either MQM supporters or workers. Ask yourself who killed them? Karachi belong toe everyone but please respect the mandate of people of Karachi.
Everybody please pray. May he leave us in peace.
May Allah bless you with health. Ameen!
He is recovering from what? jet lag? heard he wanted to "recover" in the nice and clean air of south africa.
lol.. Altaf bhai couldn't survive the bombshell... need time to recover ;)
How can so many nice educated people believe in Altaf Hussain.. seriously guys.. Get on with your lives. When he's gone you won't have anyone to sing you songs or look up to. NOBODY can tell me who will run the MQM after Altaf - who, btw, is SO paranoid these days that he's writing to every foreign dignitary in the world to get some sort of backing and protection. Well played, AZ.
@Ahmed: surely they are
@Tanzeel: I don't know if God has time to worry about petty politicians. As for Zulfiqar Mirza, most people want to see his allegations proven in a court case so the Pakistani government should follow up and ask for Altaf Hussain to be extradited to Pakistan.
@amir bajwa: Even though we respect our Holy Book so dearly do not forget all these politicians, ministers, Presidents and Prime Ministers took oath over Quran that they will serve the country with honesty? Did they? No.....so even if someone comes up with this kind of act we should simply back-off and leave it to Allah and him. It's not a joke and no political tool to use whenever wished.
@Tanzeel: You actually think they will accept, if they did, that they received such letter? Common. World politics is no different than our local politics.
@all people lie on Quran so grow up well altaf couldn't have been sick at a better time i guess His lovers will now help him through this difficult time , i guess zulfiqar mirza antics go to waste
@Ahmed: All for UK's involvement. they planned the creation of this country they better fix the mess also.
@Aadersh: and you think they wouldnt know...
if the iltaf hussain is not involved in any kind of activity as said by the ex minister then he must come before the nation with holding Holy Book and say no to all allegaions levelved against him
Do we seriously need to believe the UK high commission? Maybe they are involved in Karachi killing affairs too
It seems God is with MQM. Just now UK high commission has rejected ZM's claims about Altaf's letter to Blair and his arrest propaganda.