Tribune’s Gamechangers 2011: Afaq Ahmed

Clearing his name and making it out of jail.

The arch-rival of Karachi’s largest party tasted freedom for the first time in seven years this year, after the Sindh High Court declared his imprisonment illegal.

The controversial MQM-H leader Afaq Ahmed whose separation from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) marked a bloody turf war in Karachi in the 1990s was earlier detained even after the courts had granted him bail, upon the orders of the provincial government who felt that releasing him would pose a security threat to Karachi. Despite the hurdles, a defiant Ahmed walked free, vowed to start from scratch but still bore a grudge against his erstwhile comrade, Altaf Hussain.

Quote of the year: "I forgive Altaf Hussain. I forgive him for my continuous imprisonment. I forgive Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad as well, for not letting me attend my father’s funeral. But can I forgive them what they’ve done to my people and my country? Never."