Altaf tasks Nadeem Nusrat to make new MQM in Pakistan

GENEVA/LONDON: Veteran Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Nadeem Nusrat has been tasked by Altaf Hussain to organise a new set-up of the MQM in Pakistan after the MQM split effectively into London and Pakistani chapters, with the Pakistan chapter openly defying the London set-up and refusing to listen to the demands of resignations and uprising made by the party leader Altaf Hussain.

The News has learnt from trusted sources that Altaf Hussain has made Nadeem Nusrat in-charge of every single affair of the party and tasked him to immediately begin work on setting up a pro-Altaf MQM in Karachi. Altaf Hussain is angry, sad and frustrated at the recent turn of events and he believes he has been humiliated by his own colleagues. He thinks he has been let down by the very people who had vowed to stand by him through thick and thin, a source in Mthe QM-London briefed this correspondent.

“Nadeem Nusrat Bhai is the new leader who has the full backing of Altaf Bhai. He has become the most powerful person in whatever is left of the MQM and Altaf Hussain trusts him the most, therefore he has been given the task of forming a new party,” said the source.

A trusted source in the MQM said that Altaf Hussain doesn’t take any decision without consulting Nadeem Nusrat. In fact, all recent decisions in the MQM have been taken by Nadeem Nusrat.

As far Wasay Jalil and Mustafa Azizabadi are concerned, they are aides to Nadeem Nusrat. It’s Nadeem Nusrat whom Altaf Hussain trusts the most.

“His counsel to Altaf Hussain matters the most. Altaf Bhai has lost trust in almost everyone after what happened to him after the 22nd August speech,” said the source.

Nadeem Nusrat has been asked to make contacts at all levels in the MQM organisation and announce national, Karachi and local structures of the party to give an alternative to MQM-Pakistan now taken over by Farooq Sattar, Khawaja Izhar and Faisal Sabzwari. For Nadeem Nusrat, who started his career in All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation in Landhi sector, this is yet another phase of MQM politics - of which he has remained a central part since Altaf Hussain moved to London in early 90s.

Altaf Hussain gained confidence of Nadeem Nusrat in the early days and although Nadeem Nusrat has been fired and sidelined many times from the MQM but he has made repeated comebacks. After MQM’s troubles started in London after the assassination of Dr Imran Farooq six years ago, Nadeem Nusrat was called from America to London four years ago and since then he has remained central to Altaf Hussain’s politics.

Many in the party have looked at him with envy as in how he enjoys full trust of the party leader. Nadeem Nusrat’s influence around Altaf Hussain grew when he managed finances of the MQM back in early 90s. Then he had reached London with Altaf Hussain after the Karachi operation.

Those were the days when the MQM was cash dry and the party ran its affairs from a small room in Edgware through a phone and fax machine. It was Nadeem Nusrat who allegedly facilitated contacts between the MQM and the Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Nadeem Nusrat, however, rejected such charges against him.

MQM leaders Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Anwar and Tariq Mir during their recorded interviews to the Scotland Yard have mentioned the name of Nadeem Nusrat as the person who introduced them to the Indian sources to begin with. During under caution interviews with the police into financial investigation into MQM monetary affairs much before the murder of Dr Imran Farooq, the three leaders were asked questions about heavy payments landing into MQM accounts in London. During further probe, these leaders confirmed to the police that Nadeem Nusrat introduced them to the Indian sources and the MQM didn’t say no to Indian money because it needed cash for survival after the Karachi operation.

Sources inside MQM have confirmed that Muhammad Anwar took over “international contacts” from Nadeem Nusrat on the instructions of Altaf Hussain who became unhappy with Nadeem Nusrat and sidelined him. Nadeem Nusrat left for America in late 90s and spent over a decade in political wilderness until his return to London in 2013 on the request of Altaf Hussain who thought that Nadeem Nusrat will steer the party in proper direction as the founder-leader faced police investigations, falling health and fragmentation and unease in the party ranks. Mustafa Azizabadi was sacked from being in-charge of MQM international secretariat and command was handed over to Nadeem Nusrat.

Media has only talked about Muhammad Anwar being involved in holding talks with Indian spy agencies but Nadeem Nusrat’s role has been central to all of this and he made important contacts while in America. Muhammad Anwar took over Indian contacts from Nadeem Nusrat because he could speak and write English with full command unlike many other Altaf’s loyalists who lacked in this area and command of English impressed Altaf.

Nadeem Nusrat was expelled from MQM in 1998 by Altaf but he returned a year later and joined the “group of 8” which had been formed by Altaf Hussain himself to “speed up the Mohajir nationalist movement” giving an impression as if it was a splinter group which didn’t take orders from the MQM-Altaf.

The key group members of the ultra-nationalist group included Zulfikar Haider, Anees Advocate, Muhammad Anwar, Ishratul Ebad, Wasay Jalil and Aleem Shehzad. Nadeem Nusrat briefly joined this group but fell out with Altaf Hussain after Dr Imran Farooq reached London and struggle for power within the MQM started.