Media watch: The MQM and martial law
The MQM's call for an 'honest government' and the implications of such a message grips media and politicians alike.
Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.
Altaf calls for new honest govt
He said, “I ask those flood victims whose houses are destroyed to come out and occupy lands and palaces of those who have caused people’s lands to submerge.”He said besides MQM there was no party that has middle class people. All politicians have big palaces, he said. (thenews.com.pk)
PML-N seeks army, govt’s response to MQM remarks
In the past, Chaudhry Nisar recalled, the MQM was always critical of Rangers and the army’s role and raised “anti-army slogans” when Gen Asif Nawaz, Gen Jehangir Karamat and Gen Waheed Kakar were army chiefs. “However, when Gen Musharraf hid their misdeeds, the army became dear to the MQM,” he said. Amir Wasim (dawn.com)
VIEW: Altaf Hussain’s martial law balloon
The MQM was created on the aggressive chauvinist appeal to Urdu-speakers to maintain the privileges of the salariat and frustrate the aspirations of the growing middle strata from among the deprived nationalities—Sindhis, Pashtuns and Baloch — while overcoming its rootlessness. Quite opportunistically, it became an appendage to successive military regimes to consolidate its ethnic power base in urban Sindh against the ‘feudal’ (read rural) Sindhis. It manipulated one party/ethnic group against the other to grab a greater share at the cost of the Sindhis and joined those feudal cliques who have had always sold the interests of the Sindhis. Imtiaz Alam (dailytimes.com.pk)
Altaf's statement criticised: government likely to 'sabotage' National Assembly session, says Nisar
He said the MQM leader should tell the nation from where he got millions of pounds to purchase his house and party office in London. "There are no two opinions on the fact that the MQM runs a militant wing and they also believe in politics of 'Bhatta'," he said. He said he had to address this press conference in response to what he said mud-slinging on top PML-N leadership by MQM leaders. Naveed Butt (brecorder.com)
Altaf Hussain’s déjà vu
MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s appeal to the “patriotic generals”, is reminiscent of the appeal made by former Air Chief Marshal Asghar Khan in his letter to General Zia in 1977, and then the putting together of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) under the PPP in 1998, which led to military take over in 1977 and 1999. It is the name of the game, played for the last several decades, to pull down the elected governments for military takeovers. But would this game succeed again is indeed a matter of concern. General Mirza Aslam Beg (nation.com.pk)
Altaf calls for new honest govt
He said, “I ask those flood victims whose houses are destroyed to come out and occupy lands and palaces of those who have caused people’s lands to submerge.”He said besides MQM there was no party that has middle class people. All politicians have big palaces, he said. (thenews.com.pk)
PML-N seeks army, govt’s response to MQM remarks
In the past, Chaudhry Nisar recalled, the MQM was always critical of Rangers and the army’s role and raised “anti-army slogans” when Gen Asif Nawaz, Gen Jehangir Karamat and Gen Waheed Kakar were army chiefs. “However, when Gen Musharraf hid their misdeeds, the army became dear to the MQM,” he said. Amir Wasim (dawn.com)
VIEW: Altaf Hussain’s martial law balloon
The MQM was created on the aggressive chauvinist appeal to Urdu-speakers to maintain the privileges of the salariat and frustrate the aspirations of the growing middle strata from among the deprived nationalities—Sindhis, Pashtuns and Baloch — while overcoming its rootlessness. Quite opportunistically, it became an appendage to successive military regimes to consolidate its ethnic power base in urban Sindh against the ‘feudal’ (read rural) Sindhis. It manipulated one party/ethnic group against the other to grab a greater share at the cost of the Sindhis and joined those feudal cliques who have had always sold the interests of the Sindhis. Imtiaz Alam (dailytimes.com.pk)
Altaf's statement criticised: government likely to 'sabotage' National Assembly session, says Nisar
He said the MQM leader should tell the nation from where he got millions of pounds to purchase his house and party office in London. "There are no two opinions on the fact that the MQM runs a militant wing and they also believe in politics of 'Bhatta'," he said. He said he had to address this press conference in response to what he said mud-slinging on top PML-N leadership by MQM leaders. Naveed Butt (brecorder.com)
Altaf Hussain’s déjà vu
MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s appeal to the “patriotic generals”, is reminiscent of the appeal made by former Air Chief Marshal Asghar Khan in his letter to General Zia in 1977, and then the putting together of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) under the PPP in 1998, which led to military take over in 1977 and 1999. It is the name of the game, played for the last several decades, to pull down the elected governments for military takeovers. But would this game succeed again is indeed a matter of concern. General Mirza Aslam Beg (nation.com.pk)