Altaf has Pashtun blood on his hands: ANP

ANP leaders respond to Altaf Hussain's allegations, say party does not need certificate of patriotism from him.


Shaheryar Popalzai September 10, 2011
Altaf has Pashtun blood on his hands: ANP

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party (ANP) leader Afrasiab Khattak on Saturday said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain had the blood of Pashtun on his hands.

Responding to Hussan’s allegations of the ANP misleading Pashtuns, Khattak said “aap ka Pashtun-duhsman chehra sab kay samnay hay.” He said the MQM chief should consider what the people think of him looking at the number of Pashtun bodies coming to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Balochistan from Karachi.

“Nobody has killed more Pashtuns than the MQM,” said the ANP leader.

Speaking on the MQM chief’s allegations of US funding of the ANP during elections, Khattak said that the number of assets the MQM and its people owned in the United Kingdom and the letter written to then Prime Minister Tony Blair was something to be questioned.

“Where is the MQM getting the money for all this?”

Khattak said that the ANP would not rest until the killers of May 12 have been arrested.

The ANP leader said that Altaf Hussain had “verbally abused” all political parties during his press conference except for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and this was because the MQM could get “seats” from them.

No ethnic fighting in Karachi: Shahi Syed

ANP leader Shahi Syed said there was no ethnic fighting in Karachi and it was the MQM that was targeting workers of his party, PPP, Jamaat-e-Islami and other political parties.

Speaking to the media in Karachi, he said the MQM should focus on national politics and not blackmail the government.

Syed said Altaf Hussain’s allegations had come because the ANP lawyer had provided solid facts to the chief justice during the suo motu hearing.

He said the MQM should speak with evidence and respond to the allegations made by Zulfiqar Mirza.

Syed said Mirza had placed the Holy Quran on his head when he made the allegations and Hussain had “danced and disrespected” the Quran during his address.

Speaking on the bus burning incident in Kemari, the ANP leader said that the MQM’s claim of only Urdu-speaking being killed was false. He said two Pashtuns and three Katchi community members had also been killed.

The ANP leader then brought forward witnesses who he said were relatives of the two men killed. He said the purpose of bringing forward the witnesses was to prove that Urdu-speaking people were not the only ones who had been killed.

“ANP does not need a certificate of patriotism from Altaf Hussain”

ANP leader Zahid Khan, speaking to the media earlier in Islamabad, said his part did not need a certificate of patriotism from Altaf Hussain or anyone else.

He said if anyone had any allegations against the ANP they should come to the courts.

Khan said everyone had seen the way Altaf Hussain had acted during the press conference yesterday.

“First he reference the Holy Quran, then he spoke about the Prophet (pbuh). I am a layman, but if the muftis keep quiet on the way he spoke, it will be damaging for the religion and society.”

The ANP leader said there was shadow of fear around Altaf Hussain during the press conference and he acted like “a person who does not know what to say.”

He alleged that the MQM leader had tried to impress the judiciary and had tried to create pressure by saying he would set his workers free in Karachi.

Khan said his party supported freedom for the media and that his party had never taken action against anyone who had spoken against them.

The ANP leader said none of the MQM leaders were able to respond to the allegations against them and Altaf Hussain did not want to respond to them.

Responding to Altaf Hussain’s statement on “foreign powers” working against Pakistan, Khan said that the MQM leader was a national of one of the powers he had mentioned and that he should tear up his passport and documents and return to Pakistan if there was such a conspiracy.

On the map shown by the MQM chief during the press conference, the ANP leader said the map had already been printed by the media in 1998.

“If you look at the press conference, he had nothing to say. He did not warn the nation and did not tell them anything.”

Khan said that it would be better for the country if a judicial committee is formed for an inquiry on which political parties are running on foreign aid.

Responding to the MQM chief’s statement that his party did not put up containers in the city on May 12, Khan said the MQM had its own home minister in place at that time and that the ports and shipping minister was from their party too.

“The containers were taken from Port Qasim. The ports and shipping minister was from the MQM at that time too,” said Khan.

The ANP leader said the powers given to the Rangers should be stay.

He said the notice taken by the chief justice and the operations in Karachi had helped improve the situation in the city.

COMMENTS (52)

Saad A | 13 years ago | Reply

@Khansab: hello, wait a minute, Pashtuns given refuge in Karachi - in their own country and that by refugees themselves? what a warmheartedness, isn't?

Asmat Jamal | 13 years ago | Reply

@Khansab: What are you talking. It was Karachi which was invaded by the land mafia from india. They exploited the Islamic brotherhood and pakistani citizenship later to become Mohajirs. You remain NRI and no more.

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