If authorities can't protect public from terror attacks, self-defence is justified: Altaf

Altaf says govt, political and religious parties should tell nation real facts about the Taliban.

Reacting to Friday's twin bombings in Karachi, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said on Saturday that if the government and security forces fail to stop Taliban terror attacks, then the public would be justified in defending themselves, Express News reported.

Altaf was addressing MQM's party members in an emergency meeting on Saturday, almost 24 hours after back to back blasts in Karachi by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that killed seven people and injured at least 28 in Ancholi, Federal B Area of Karachi. The blast site is minutes away from MQM's Karachi headquarters at Nine Zero.

Altaf said that if the security forces fail in stopping terror attacks from the TTP, people had the right to defend themselves as per Islamic injunctions and international laws.

Tell nation truth about Taliban

Altaf asked the government, political and religious parties to tell the nation the truth about the Taliban and their supporters, and how they were beasts and enemies of humanity.

The MQM chief was assured by party members that they were ready to fight the forces of evil.

Heartened by their response, Altaf asked the prime minister Nawaz Sharif, interior minister Chaudhry Nisar, members of the cabinet, religious and political parties to give up their politics of deceit and inform the nation of facts about the Taliban and their supporters.

Altaf said the public should be categorically told how the Taliban and their supporters were “beasts” who killed the innocent, a press release issued by the MQM about the meeting read.

The MQM chief deplored that Taliban supporters try to divert the public's attention from their gruesome acts by staging protests rallies against them.

“Taliban have been killing and executing innocent people. They try to hide their crimes by concealing facts and publishing fabricated stories about them,” the release read.

Altaf said that it was plain how facts were distorted after the recent drone attack in Hungu.

“They said that scores of Pakistanis had died in the [drone] attack and they would stage sit-ins to protest the attack,” the release added.

Altaf lamented that the twin bombing in Ancholi, in which at least seven people were killed and 28 were wounded, had not been condemned despite the Tehreek-e-Taliban accepting responsibility for the "brutal act.”