Nabil Gabol files petition without naming Altaf

On Tuesday, the former lawmaker had accused Altaf Hussain of issuing death threats to him

KARACHI: A day after his stark allegations against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief made headlines, former lawmaker Nabil Gabol chose not to mention Altaf Hussain in his petition filed with the Sindh High Court on Wednesday.

Gabol, who detached himself from the MQM earlier this year, had earlier claimed that he had been receiving death threats from the MQM chief since he resigned. He said that he was facing worsening security situation because he 'revealed the truth' about the party and its leaders. But when the petition was finally filed, there was no contention: Hussain was not named in it.

Gabol joined the MQM in March 2013 before the recent general elections ending his decades-long association with the Pakistan People Party (PPP). He was given a crucial platform to contest the polls in the party's stronghold, Azizabad, and was elected to the National Assembly. However, his stint as an MNA of the party ended soon.

In his petition, he contended that he had been attacked several times in the past and was again being threatened since after he left the MQM. He added that due to the differences with the leadership of the PPP, the police escort provided to him for security was withdrawn.

In support of his claim, he said that when Faryal Talpur and Anwar Majeed could get a high-level security escort just because of their relations with former president Asif Ali Zardari, why he could not despite having served as a lawmaker. Citing his concerns, he requested that Rangers be asked to provide him security instead of the police.

The petition is fixed for hearing on Thursday (today) in Justice Muhammad Ali Sheikh's court. The provincial government, ministry of home and others have been made parties in the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2015.