Pakistan

Receiving threats from MQM workers, Arif Alvi tells NA

PTI leader says he has spoken to MQM leader Farooq Sattar regarding the issue

Zahid Gishkori August 13, 2015

PHOTO: PPI/FILE

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Dr Arif Alvi informed the National Assembly on Thursday that he is receiving threats from people who claim to be workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

“I have spoken to MQM leader Farooq Sattar about this issue,” the PTI leader informed lawmakers in the National Assembly.

Read: Nabil Gabol seeks Rangers security after ‘threats from Altaf Hussain’

“For many days I have been facing life threats by people who claim that they are working for the MQM,” he added.

The PTI and the MQM have been at loggerheads for some time with PTI chief Imran Khan criticising the MQM chief Altaf Hussain for his alleged support of target killers in Karachi.

In his recent reaction on the MQM’s resignations, the PTI supremo tweeted, “A tale of 2 resignations: One to investigate an election where all parties claimed election was rigged; and the other to save target killers.”

Read: Rally attack case: Non-bailable warrants issued for Hammad Siddiqui, others

Further, the PTI has at times submitted condemnation resolutions against the MQM chief over his anti-state comments. In the last couple of months, PTI has tabled several such resolutions against Altaf in the provincial assemblies of Sindh and Punjab while the party also submitted a resolution against Altaf in the National Assembly’s secretariat in May.

Do not accept MQM resignations in haste, Khursheed advises NA speaker

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah urged NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq not to accept the resignations of the MQM lawmakers in haste.

Read: Govt tasks aides to bring MQM back into parliament

“This issue should be resolved after discussion,” he suggested. “We should convince the MQM to stick with parliamentary politics and not leave the House.”

The leader of the opposition also advised the MQM not to politicise the Karachi operation.

On Wednseday, with the complaint that no one was listening to their genuine grievances, the MQM lawmakers submitted resignations in Senate, Parliament and Sindh Assembly. Speaking on the floor of the House, MQM’s Farooq Sattar had said his party’s decision to resign from all legislative bodies was taken after long deliberations.

Read: MQM resigns from Parliament, Sindh Assembly

Sattar said the MQM chief was being singled out as in the past, PTI chairman Imran Khan, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, JI leader Munawar Hassan and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif have all criticised the military and have expressed insulting remarks against them.

COMMENTS (13)

John | 9 years ago | Reply @S.R.H. Hashmi: So you are basically saying that if MQM is threatening him, he needs to find a different professions rather than MQM thugs being taken to the task. Kudos but then I wouldn't be surprised that altaf hussain's apologists think this way as violence and MQM are like hand in glove. If this is fabricated, what about May12 when MQM massacred Karachiites with the help of Commando.

Adnan Siddiqi | 9 years ago | Reply Must be the work of his own son Awab who specializes in managing an assorted cast of the most uncouth creatures on social media.

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Christopher Rodrigues | 9 years ago | Reply I live in the constituency NA-250 in Karachi, neither did Arif Alvi nor Khurram Sher Zaman did anything for this constituency in the National Assembly nor in the porvincial assembly, many of my friends and colleagues whenever they went to these two gentlemen to get worked in their constituency each time they refused saying that this was the responsibility of the Clifton Cantonment Board or the Karachi Cantonment Board, when approached both these Cantonment Board, the response we got is that both these National & Provincial assemble members kept lying and were failures both under these constitunecy NA-250 and Provincial its provincial assembly, hence they both are failures to PTI as well. So i doubt that anyone has even threathened Arif Alvi at all. Most of the times he is never around in Karachi and cannot even get in touch to resolve issues in our contituency.

khawar | 9 years ago | Reply @ Karima Alim, you voted a person without even knowing anything about him and then again you guyswonder how come leaders of PML-N, MQM or any other political party became MPA or MNA, this type of brainwashed/robo voting has to stop.

hamback | 9 years ago | Reply cheap and old way of getting consideration..

Naeem Khan | 9 years ago | Reply They have been in habit of threatening even the State of Pakistan and their leader has said it openly that the creation of Pakistan was a mistake and the rest of the leadership never refuted that statement. Let us not forget that they have killed their own dissidents even in other countries. They are feeling the heat now because the Rangers are rounding them up one by one and it seems the target killings and extortion is on the decline because of purging by Rangers of MQM. I say keep up the heat Rangers regardless whether they stay in the Parliament or not. Rangers are doing superb job to cleanse the city of Karachi once for all.

OBSERVER | 9 years ago | Reply now every body want to wash their dirty hands by blaming MQM

S.R.H. Hashmi | 9 years ago | Reply Perhaps with MQM’s resignations, and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s speedy work towards their acceptance had convinced Dr. Arif Alvi that MQM would be out of Assemblies, and PTI will be able to establish its stronghold in Karachi with the aid of you-know-who. However, with the top leaders unwillingness to accept the resignations has made Dr. Alvi a very unhappy man and he is taking out all his frustration on MQM men, trying to hit them in all possible ways and at every forum, including the National Assembly. In any case, the right forum for reporting life threats would be a police station and not the National Assembly. With MQM members being under extreme pressure due to allegedly being singled out by the law enforcers, they would hardly be in a frame of mind to issue life threats to Dr. Arif Aliv. Moreover, politics is a hazardous profession anyway and much more so in Pakistan. So, if life threats – real or imagined – make him so nervous, it would be far better for him to continue and concentrate full time on the much safer profession of dentistry practice, and leave politics to people with strong nerves. Karachi

Karima Alim | 9 years ago | Reply I am a PTI supporter and under the guidance of Imran Khan I voted for Alvi (who I didn't even know existed) in the NA250 elections in 2013. I regret my decision as I believe Alvi has proven both before, during and after the dharna that he talks too much and is a self promoter. I doubt he is getting threats as he is not important enough to get them to begin with. Ali Zaidi and others who have taken on the MQM may have gotten threats from MQM thugs but I doubt Alvi did. Still FIA should investigate and if Alvi is indeed lying, he should be prosecuted. Also I hope PTI do not give this guy a ticket again, he has done nothing in NA250.

z | 9 years ago | Reply @Suhrawardy, highly credible? need to re-think about it. There was a video conversation tape which he never denied. Is he still credible?

Suharwardy | 9 years ago | Reply Arif Alvi is a highly credible and very decent man. Would never expect him to lie. If he is saying this, there must definitely be a reason. Look at his humility, he first spoke to Dr Farooq Sattar before coming out on press, must mean MQM is directly involved in whatever the matter is. I suspect they do not like Arif Alvi's hard work in PTI Sindh's quick spread in Karachi as well as interior areas.....

SK | 9 years ago | Reply Current Rangers operation is the only hope for the people of Karachi. God help us all.

Mami | 9 years ago | Reply What else can MQM do? It is in their blood.

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