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Thursday July 24, 2025

Method in madness

By Akram Shaheedi
August 29, 2016

Head of PPP Media Cell

MQM Chief Altaf Hussain’s recent tirade against Pakistan perfectly exemplified the method in madness without Hamlet’s ambivalence. I would desist to the limits from accepting the involvement of foreign intelligence agency sans irrefutable evidence of creating troubles in Pakistan through proxies. But, the context of Altaf Hussain’s recent speech against Pakistan state convinced all alike that he was doing the bidding of India as an undercover accomplice. Bringing normal life in Karachi to a grinding halt was his modus operandi as a conduit to surrogate enemy country’s interest. The purpose was to divert the world’s attention towards Pakistan from the increasingly gruesome situation in the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) where Indian Para-military troops had unleashed a reign of terror inflicting the worst kind of human rights violations.

Altaf Hussain had managed to an extent as the Karachi situation had been in the spot light of the media rather than the situation in IHK since August 22. It served his purpose regardless of its despicable nature. The media’s inevitable hype to the Karachi situation led to the cascade of meetings at the highest level in the federal capital followed by the visit of the interior minister to Karachi and his meetings with the Sindh government top leadership. Media could not afford to continue to accord high key publicity to Kashmir situation due to overbearing professional imperatives. 

The timing of creating trouble in Karachi was well thought out scheme as international community had started pressurising India to stop brazen human rights violations in IHK and strive to find out an amicable solution of the problem. The unabated deteriorating situation in the Valley spread over one and half month was not showing any sign of abating, causing acute concerns in India. The Indian opposition parties were holding Modi government responsible for the failure of its Kashmir policy. The resuscitating of the Kashmir issue yet again as a UN obligation wanting its implementation was on the nerves of the Indian prime minister. His wailing at the Red Fort recently expressing faint solidarity with Baloch and Gilgit/Baltistan people was befittingly paid back by the people in the every corner of Pakistan. Balochistan Assembly’s unanimous resolution on last Saturday was a slap on the face of Modi’s interference in Balochistan. 

Altaf Hussain (known for his nexus with RAW confirmed by Mr. Sheharyar Khan Niazi, a former top diplomat to UK Diplomatic Mission, Karachi) wanted to bail out India from the increasing worsening situation as obtaining in IHK. It was widely understood the MQM chief plan was to paralyse Karachi, and the TV images of the anticipated ghost metropolis would be
flashed globally serving his dual sinister purpose. Firstly, Pakistan’s efforts would suffer a fatal blow intended to jolt the world conscience on the plight of Kashmiri people. Secondly, the MQM would demonstrate to the world its massive popular support by shutting down the commercial and financial hub of the country at will.

Only time would tell whether he had succeeded in his treachery against Pakistan or not. He was surely disappointed now. His Pakistan bashing had backfired with compatible intensity. The redeeming feature was as the whole nation had stood against him expressing the strongest condemnation. MQM Pakistan had also joined in the condemnation and disowned Altaf Hussain’s criticism of state of Pakistan in a press conference addressed by Dr Farooq Sattar in Karachi in the presence of members of Rabita Committee based in Pakistan. God had disposed him of — because tyranny was not tenable. The widest possible condemnation of all the segments of the society had dashed his all hopes to the ground while pushing him to the slippery slope of political redundancy.

Incredibly, the hard-hitting criticism of the people in general and in Karachi in particular against the MQM chief speech was never seen earlier. Contrary to his instructions to MQM workers to shut the metropolis totally, the life on the following day was quite normal. It was clear the days of MQM ruling by remote control had gone. Neither a single market was closed down nor was the flow of traffic disrupted in Karachi. The metropolis was live and at ease. It was quite in contrast with the past when MQM would shut whole Karachi within minutes for days and nobody would dare to step out in defiance for fear of inevitable dire consequences.

The business was as usual and peaceful in the metropolis that gave credence to the perception, backed by situation on the ground, that operation in Karachi launched by the federal and provincial governments had yielded palatable results and the law and order situation had qualitatively improved. Rangers and security agencies had played an important role to bring the life of metropolis back to almost normal. Karachites had indeed come out of the fear emanating from MQM’s notorious instruments of intimidation, enslavement and elimination. These were taken by the residents as mere bluster this time.

Predictably, the politicians of all spectrums also came out with the strongest condemnation of the speech of Altaf Hussain and demanded of the government to take up the matter with the British government as he incited his workers to resort to violence in Karachi. They attacked two media houses and damaged the offices of two TV channels.

Britain has stringent law to deal with the offence of incitement to violence. The prime minister assured the nation that every word against Pakistan would be accounted for. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and the PPP Provincial Co-ordination Committee strongly condemned the speech and urged the government to proceed against Altaf Hussain under Article 6 of the Constitution. Syed Khurshid Shah, Opposition Leader, maintained that minus one formula had become inevitable while opposing ban on the MQM Pakistan. Senator Aitzaz Ahsan opined that MQM chief must be prosecuted under the relevant article of the constitution. Imran Khan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and others also abhorred the speech of Altaf Hussain as both condemnable and contemptible.

Civil society of Karachi was outraged over the speech of Altaf Hussain. Its pouring heaps of scorn and condemnation on him spoke in volumes of its unflinching commitment to Pakistan. It was also indicative of the fact as how much they felt hurt. The press organisations right across the country in their meetings also joined in the condemnation describing MQM die-hard workers attack on the media houses in compliance with instructions of Altaf Hussain as attack on the freedom of media.

Karachi and its residents had suffered a lot in the hands of MQM led by Altaf Hussain. It had kept the commercial and industrial hub of the country its hostage for the last fifteen years or so during which target killings, extortions, kidnapping for ransom were the favourite tools to silence their political opponents and also amass tones of money. The patronage of General Zia, General Mirza Beg and General Musharraf embolden them to carry out heinous crimes with impunity considering Karachi as its hunting ground. The incident of May 12, 2007, was the worst manifestation when chief justice of Pakistan was not allowed to enter Karachi and he had to fly back to Islamabad. That was the scale of the MQM highhandedness, absolute power and influence and they used it to the fullest to strengthen their constituency at the expense of other communities. The land grabbing, china cuttings, recruitment of its thousands workers in the government departments were common than exception. Karachi was literary at the mercy of the MQM. It took countless pounds of flesh in the feeding frenzy.

The future of the MQM now hangs in balance because it has been totally isolated politically. Altaf Hussain’s tainted apology yet again will not alter the views of the people about him and Rabita Committee of London. MQM is at the crossroads with uncertain future. The political parties are keeping it at bay because people across all differences are very angry and consider Altaf Hussain and his coteries based in London as enemy of Pakistan.

Deputy Convener, Dr Farooq Sattar, in his seemingly damage control press conference on August 23 also not only condemned the speech of Altaf Hussain but also distanced MQM Pakistan from the London MQM. He also handed out categorical assurance to the people of Pakistan that MQM Pakistan would not allow the repetition of such tirade in future. He went on to claim that MQM Pakistan and its Rabita Committee here would take decisions to the exclusion of the Rabita Committee, London.

Is it a tactical move to gain time? For, Altaf Hussain is quite capable of pulling the rug underneath from the feet of MQM Pakistan leaving them high and dry. He had done so in the past and would repeat the same practice at a time of his choosing. The incumbent MQM Pakistan had no spine to resist his bellicose. All of them are beholden to him and therefore would not stand against him.

However, the government, political leadership of the country and Security Establishment should give benefit of doubt to the MQM Pakistan. Dr Farooq Sattar in his press conference and other media engagements maintained that MQM Pakistan would operate independent of London Rabita Committee as it had severed its links with them thoroughly and comprehensively. PPP leadership and other major parties are of the view that MQM Pakistan should be allowed to work in the mainstream politics of the country after seeking requisite guarantees to carry out its activities within the ambit of the constitution. It is worth considering favourably.

muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com