MQM chief warns against ‘minus-Altaf formula’

KARACHI:

Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain warned on Monday of a war on the streets if the ‘conspiracies’ against his party didn’t end.

“There are 5 million Mohajirs, and a lot of work is being done on the minus-Altaf formula. If I’m removed, the crowd sitting here won’t be sitting here anymore. They’ll take to the streets, and every street will witness war which no one will be able to stop,” he said addressing his party leaders, parliamentarians and office-bearers at the Lal Qila ground by phone from London on Monday.

Altaf also spoke of holding sit-ins in the near future against the ongoing ‘conspiracies’ against his party, and said if PTI Chairman Imran Khan could hold a three-month long sit-in without a single bullet being fired at him, his party could stretch their protests to six months.

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Reiterating his stance, the MQM chief said that neither he nor his party had any connections with Indian intelligence agency RAW, and anyone against Pakistan—be it Indians or RAW—were MQM’s enemies.

“If RAW propagates against the country, then we will be standing next to our armed forces to fight against them. An enemy of our country cannot be a friend of the MQM. We want to tell the forces and the government that we don’t have any connection or link with the Indians or RAW,” he said. However, he added that his party should not be maligned if an individual from the party becomes part of RAW and gives statements to the police.

A recent BBC report claimed that the MQM has been funded by India.

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Altaf then spoke of forming a team of 50 to 100 members from both London and Pakistan who would be at the helm of affairs after he is no more. “One day I have to die, and I know this. But before that, I want to form a team of honest people to run the party,” he said.

Regarding criminals being found in the MQM, he said that while the party has zero-tolerance for terrorism and criminal activities, if such individuals are found in his party, law enforcement agencies should provide evidence and arrest them. “If we find the proof to be credible, then we will expel individuals from the party. And the law enforcement agencies then can arrest them.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2015.