Pak HC in New Delhi feted Altaf despite his anti-Pak speech

ISLAMABAD: Within a few days after Altaf Hussain made a highly controversial speech against Pakistan at a seminar in New Delhi’s Taj Mahal Hotel in 2004, the-then Pakistani high commissioner to India was forced by Islamabad to invite the MQM chief to a dinner.
Though the officials of the high commission were really down and angry over what Altaf Hussain had said in New Delhi, the-then high commissioner, Aziz Ahmad Khan, had to invite him because of pressure from Islamabad. Aziz Khan was reminded that Altaf Hussain’sparty was Musharraf regime’s ally. Consequently, the Pakistan High Commission had to settle for a “private dinner” in honour of the person who had just said, “The division of the Sub-continent was the biggest blunder... it was not the division of land, it was the division of blood....”
Aziz Khan was not available for his comments; sources close to him, however, confirmed that he had to fete Altaf under pressure from Islamabad. The high commission had timely reported to the Foreign Office about the contents of Altaf’s speech.
Instead of taking action, the Musharraf regime directed the high commission to fete the MQM chief and his leaders present there on the occasion.Retired bureaucrats and the then Press Minister at the Pakistani High Commission in India, Rai Riaz Hussain, when contacted, said that he was an eyewitness to Altaf’s speech at the Hindustan Times Conclave at Hotel Taj Mahal, New Delhi, in Nov 2004.
“At the very outset, I admit that it was the worst day of my life when I heard Altaf’s speech on the enemy’s soil. He had some phrases written in English and some portions of the speech were delivered in Urdu, extempore. Perhaps, the English portion was a script given from somewhere,” Rai Riaz said.
He reminded that Altaf Hussain said in his speech that when he landed at the New Delhi airport he saw right, he saw left, he saw up and he saw down and felt like home. Rai Riaz said then Altaf Hussain termed the division of India as the biggest blunder in the history.
“After some frivolous sentences, he shouted in Urdu, conveying ‘We are blamed and maltreated for being Mohajirs in Pakistan. Now if we are maltreated as being Mohajirs, we will seek shelter from you (India)’,” Riaz said, adding that then the MQM chief posed a direct question to the audience, and said, “Dilli walo, bolo hamein panah do gey?” (People of Delhi, will you give us shelter?)
There was total silence in the hall where gentry, top intellectuals, diplomats and senior journalists were present, Rai recalled, and said that Altaf repeated this question to the audience thrice. When he received no answer, he said, “Perhaps, I have asked a difficult question.”
The former press minister in the Pakistani High Commission in India said that on this situation, the diplomats of Pakistan were totally stunned and felt embarrassed at such utterances. “The report was sent to the government by me as Minister (Press) and released to Pakistani press. It was published here. We were highly disturbed but to our utter surprise, the ambassador invited the MQM delegation to a dinner at the hotel they were staying,” he said, adding that upon his protest the High Commissioner Aziz Ahmad Khan said, “Yar oper sey hukm hai (I have been commanded from the top to do so).”
Rai said Gen Musharraf was upset why the high commission did not host the MQM delegation. “This was a very sad chapter of my life,” Riaz said. He added that prior to Altaf’s arrival in New Delhi, the road from the airport to the hotel was decorated by Altaf’s pictures and welcoming banners which was unusual.
It should be noted that most of the remarks made by Altaf in New Delhi were denied by the MQM. The party leaders said Altaf’s remarks were misinterpreted.When this correspondent approached a source close to Musharraf, he said on condition of not being named that it was wrong to say that the Musharraf government had ordered its High Commission in India to fete Altaf.